The Gudimalkapur police on Monday registered an attempt to murder case against cow vigilantes for attacking a truck driver and two police personnel late on Sunday night after mistaking a plywood-laden container for a cattle transport vehicle.
The incident resulted in stone pelting between two groups. Additional forces were deployed, and a lathi charge was carried out, reportedly to restore order and maintain peace.
How did the incident take place?
The incident started at 11:45 pm when a group of as many as 20 cow vigilantes stopped a container near Tappachabutra on suspicion of cattle transporting. However, the vehicle was carrying plywood from Chennai, and no animals were discovered from it.
The driver, Sheikh Rasool, and local residents too reportedly clarified that the vehicle had no animals, but the group reportedly did not listen and continued the attack. The attack included stone pelting and vandalism of vehicles.
The intervention of police
Soon after the incident, the police arrived at the spot and chased the vigilantes away, but they began their interception again at pillar number 63 of PVNR Expressway. This interception was followed by stone pelting and targeting of the truck driver and two policemen accompanying them. The attack resulted in injuries to two police personnel.
The incident followed the reaction of politicians like All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MLA Majid Hussain.
“When locals were telling the police that it was a plywood-carrying truck, all the inspector said was that he would carry out a lathi charge. You could have kept the vehicle near the Asif Nagar police station. What is the use of this policing that is helping communal violence?” Hussain said.
The Case
Gudimalkapur Police have registered an attempt to murder case against five people, including Sai, the head of a local cow vigilante group. The case includes charges under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including attempt to murder, unlawful assembly, aggravated rioting, causing hurt to a public servant, mischief, and wrongful restraint.
