Police in Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli district have arrested seven Muslim men in connection with the alleged cooking and serving of beef at a Walima (wedding reception) held in Kairana on June 18. Among those arrested are the groom’s father, two cooks, and the owner of the marriage venue.
The latest arrests were made by Kairana police on Wednesday, taking the total number of people arrested in the case to seven. Those taken into custody include Furqan, the groom’s father; cooks Ashfaq and Zulfikar; and marriage hall owner Anees. Earlier, police had arrested the groom, Farman, his maternal uncle Salman, another cook identified as Farooq, and the venue operator.
The case pertains to a Walima ceremony organised at Mughal Garden Marriage Home in Kairana. According to police, a raid was conducted at the venue on the night of June 18 following information that beef was allegedly being served to guests.
Officials claim that samples of cooked meat suspected to be cow meat were recovered during the operation. Preliminary investigations, police said, suggested that a cow had allegedly been slaughtered near the Yamuna floodplain in the Khurgyan village area. The meat was then purportedly transported to the wedding venue in a Scorpio vehicle, where it was prepared and served during the reception.
Police have alleged that several individuals were involved in the procurement, transportation, and preparation of the meat. Investigators claim that the cooks had agreed to prepare the meat for a fixed payment.
Additional Superintendent of Police Sumit Shukla said the police acted promptly after receiving information about the alleged serving of beef at the event. According to him, the investigation pointed to a coordinated effort involving the slaughter of the animal, transportation of the meat, and its subsequent preparation for the feast.
Meanwhile, authorities have also initiated action against the venue where the reception was held. The Mughal Garden Marriage Home has been sealed by the Shamli Development Authority, which has reportedly classified the structure as an unauthorised construction.
Jagdev Singh, a junior engineer with the authority, said a notice had been issued to the owner asking why action should not be taken against the building. Following the notice, the banquet hall was sealed, and officials indicated that demolition proceedings may also be considered.
Police said the investigation is ongoing and that efforts are being made to identify and apprehend others allegedly connected to the case.
Speaking to Maktoob on condition of anonymity, a local journalist said the groom’s family has been reluctant to speak publicly following the police action.
“The family is scared and is not ready to talk to anyone right now,” the journalist said.
Questioning the action against the banquet hall, the journalist added, “The authorities now say the structure is illegal. If that is the case, how was the building plan approved when it was constructed?”
The journalist further alleged that local development authorities often mark properties as unauthorised and demand payments in the name of regulatory compliance.
“This could also be one of those money-extortion exercises,” the journalist claimed.
On the allegation of beef being served, the journalist said there was uncertainty among attendees regarding the type of meat that had been prepared for the reception.
“Nobody who attended the wedding is certain about what kind of meat was actually served,” the journalist said.
Authorities have not yet released the results of any forensic examination of the seized meat samples.
