Photo: Maktoob Media
In a disturbing incident on Monday night, 7 people including a 62-year-old man who were transporting cattle from a weekly market were allegedly attacked by a group of unidentified men. Police registered a case on Tuesday against 10 to 20 unidentified individuals in connection with the assault.
According to police sources, the 62-year-old complainant said his employer, trader Padam Rajput from Borgaon Wadi in Sillod tehsil of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, had purchased 21 bulls at the Wadod Bazaar weekly market in Phulambri tehsil. The cattle were being taken to Nalegaon in Latur district in two vehicles when the attack occurred.
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The complainant told police that as the vehicles reached Londewadi village in Jalna tehsil, they were stopped by a group of men who accused them of transporting cattle for slaughter.
Although the victims reportedly explained that the bulls were meant for agricultural use and that they possessed valid documents, the attackers allegedly beat them with sticks and logs, Maktoob Media reported.
Police arrived at the scene soon after, rescued the injured, and seized the cattle, which were later handed over to a nearby cow shelter in Ramnagar. However, the complaint stated that the same group of men followed the victims to the shelter and continued the assault — allegedly in the presence of the police.
Social worker Reema Kale-Kharat later intervened and urged the police to take the victims’ statements. She claimed that officers had initially detained the victims and booked them under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act instead of acting against the attackers. Following her intervention, the police registered a case against the unidentified assailants.
The injured are Nisar Patel, Asif Shaikh, Riyaz Qureshi, Sajid Pasha, Asif Sadiq, Javed Qureshi, and Sayyed Parvez — all of whom sustained injuries to the head and other parts of the body.
Patel alleged that the attackers arrived in a Scorpio vehicle and assaulted them again at the cow shelter. He also claimed that the police initially refused to file his complaint and detained the victims for nearly 12 hours before registering a case against the assailants.
When contacted, Sub-Divisional Police Officer Anant Kulkarni denied that the attack took place in the presence of police officials, saying there was “some dispute between the two parties” and that an investigation was underway.