FIR filed in Ghaziabad as 3 women beaten over ‘cow slaughter’ claim

Police in Ghaziabad on Tuesday registered an FIR against three people associated with a Hindu Right-wing outfit for allegedly assaulting three women on suspicion that they were “taking a cow away for slaughter” in Modinagar on Monday evening, police said

Police in Ghaziabad on Tuesday registered an FIR against three people associated with a Hindu Right-wing outfit for allegedly assaulting three women on suspicion that they were “taking a cow away for slaughter” in Modinagar on Monday evening, police said.

The suspects allegedly assaulted the three women after seeing them taking away a stray cow, suspecting the animal was being taken for slaughter. (Representational image)

The FIR – a copy of which HT has accessed – was lodged on the complaint of a 31-year-old woman under sections 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), and 351(3) (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. It names a woman, and two unidentified men.

“The suspects are associated with the Hindu Raksha Dal. They allegedly assaulted the three women after seeing them taking away a stray cow, suspecting the animal was being taken for slaughter. Police later intervened and recorded the complaint of one of the women,” said Bhaskar Verma, assistant commissioner of police (Modinagar).

In her complaint, the woman said she was taking the stray cow home to rear it. “When we reached Sikheda Road with the cow, a woman along with two unidentified persons arrived, hurled abuses at us, and started assaulting us. My mother and I suffered injuries, and the suspects also threatened to kill us,” the complainant, a resident of Modinagar, stated in the FIR.

Deputy commissioner of police (Rural) Surendra Nath Tiwari said videos of the incident have been obtained from social media and will form part of the investigation. HT could not independently verify the videos.

“The woman named in the FIR is associated with the Hindu Raksha Dal. She claimed the cow was being taken for slaughter, while the complainants maintained they were taking the stray animal home,” Tiwari said, adding that the cow was shifted to a gaushala after the incident.

Pinky Chaudhary, chief of the Hindu Raksha Dal, confirmed that the accused woman is an office-bearer of the organisation in Modinagar and alleged that the women were taking the cow for slaughter, a claim denied by the complainants.