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Animal rights activists booked for extortion bid on goatherder
Dankaur police has registered a case against 18 animal rights activists — three named and 15 unnamed — for allegedly trying to extort money from a cattle trader
Dankaur police has registered a case against 18 animal rights activists — three named and 15 unnamed — for allegedly trying to extort money from a cattle trader in Greater Noida.
Mathura-based goat herder and complainant alleged that the activists threatened to frame him in a case of animal cruelty if their demands were not met.
The incident was reported on Wednesday around 1.30am, when complainant Pappu was transporting goats from Mathura to Ghazipur in Delhi via Yamuna Expressway. He said activists intercepted his truck on the expressway and demanded money.
“The suspects overtook me in three cars and forced me to stop. They demanded money to allow safe passage for my vehicle and threatened to frame me if the demands are not met,” he said in the complaint. Pappu named three of them as Pragati Khanna, Kaveri Rana and Shahid, and 15 other unnamed persons in the complaint.
Rajesh Kumar Singh, deputy commissioner of police, Greater Noida, said based on the complaint police have registered a case against them under Section 384 (extortion), Section 147 (rioting), Section 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and Section 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of the Indian Penal Code.
“The goat herder had all the documents he needed to transport the animals. There was no cow or buffalo in the truck. We are investigating the matter,” he said.
The activists denied the allegations. Rana said she was not at the spot when the incident took place. “Khanna and other animal rights activists had spotted the truck with goats, sheep and bovine. They informed police and a team reached the spot. However, instead of registering our complaint, the police registered a complaint against us,” she said.
Rana said she had filed a case against the same herder at the Knowledge Park police station on October 23, 2019, for animal cruelty. “He was arrested and sent to jail. He has filed a motivated complaint against us,” she alleged.
Khanna’s advocate C P Gautam said the allegations levelled against his client are baseless. “The police detained my client and the others for five hours. We are going to file a petition against the police action,” Gautam said.
