Vigilantes apprehend 2 with cow carcasses near Signature Bridge

The police said the two persons were found along with cow vigilante Rupesh Rana alias Rocky, a cow vigilante.

A group of self-proclaimed cow vigilantes kept two people, including a minor, restrained for hours near the Signature Bridge in northeast Delhi on Monday morning and posted about it live on social media, before eventually police made arrests over the alleged cow slaughter.

Police apprehended a 27-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy on suspicion of cow slaughter. (Representational Photo/Getty Images via AFP)

According to officials, a police team was called to the spot around 8.20am and two individuals — Faizan Khan. 27, and a 16-year-old boy — were apprehended on suspicion of cow slaughter.

The police said the two were found along with cow vigilante Rupesh Rana alias Rocky, a cow vigilante. Rana posted a video stating that at 4.30am on Monday, he and his group reached the Yamuna floodplains near the Signature Bridge, allegedly after receiving a “tip-off”, and “caught” two people in a white Hyundai Santro, purportedly with cow carcasses.

“We had been receiving inputs for days about the movement of cow slaughters near Signature Bridge. Today, we caught them when they were going to take the cow meat to northeast Delhi and Uttar Pradesh for restaurants and street-side dhabas,” Rana told HT.

Rana also posted a video of the alleged incident on social media, in which two people could be seen in a car, the windows of which were shattered. The purported cow carcasses were kept beside the vehicle.

“They were killing cows and we caught them… I have made them sit inside the car,” Rana said in the five-minute clip.

HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the video. Additional deputy commissioner of police (DCP) (northeast) Sandeep Lamba said Rana and his group informed the authorities that they had caught two people slaughtering cattle.

“We had received a call around 8.20am about the cow slaughter. A team was rushed to the spot and they found Rana with two people. There were cow carcasses, tools, a syringe, a medicine bottle, and a Santro which was being used to smuggle the meat. A case under sections 325 (mischief by killing animal), 196 (promoting enmity between different groups), 299 (deliberate act intended to outrage religious feelings), 111(2) (organised crime) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act has been registered at the New Usmanpur police station,” Lamba said.

Asked about allegations that the two accused were assaulted before they were picked up by police, Lamba said, “We have been told that the accused were caught by Rana and locals. The locals beat up the accused and broke the car’s glass. There are no serious injuries. We are conducting an inquiry. However, the accused have not lodged a complaint against anyone.”

Rana told HT that he is not involved in the assault. “I deal with police and law…I don’t hurt anyone. Locals came and they might have done something,” he said.

A senior police officer aware of the matter said they will check whether the cow vigilantes illegally detained the accused. “Sometimes, they can lie for views and social media,” the officer said, asking not to be named.

Rana has in the past shared several videos about alleged cow smugglers and slaughterers.

In September 2024, HT reported that Rana and his associates, who claim to help police by catching offenders, often chase, beat, illegally detain and harass cow slaughterers. Police had said that they had detained Rana last year for “inciting” a crowd in northeast Delhi against cow smugglers, but he was later let off.

In neighbouring Haryana, cow vigilantes have increasingly taken the law into their own hands, perpetrating a pattern of violence, often with deadly consequences. The Supreme Court has repeatedly asked states to act against such gangs — leading to the Haryana government in March 2023 directing districts to set up special committees to crack down on cow vigilantes, and work on the rescue and rehabilitation of stray cattle. However, these armed vigilante groups continue to operate with impunity, and have now spread to Delhi.