Carrying cattle for Bakri Eid in Maharashtra? Dial this number for police protection from cow vigilantes

Instructions have been issued to unit commanders (SPs in rural areas and police commissioners in urban pockets) to mount surveillance and dispatch help in case of crisis.

The Maharashtra police on Wednesday started a 24X7 helpline—9503511100—to ensure protection to transporters carrying cattle ahead of Bakri Eid on September 2.

Instructions have been issued to unit commanders (SPs in rural areas and police commissioners in urban pockets) to mount surveillance and dispatch help in case of crisis. (File)

Bipin Bihari, additional director general of police (ADGP), law and order, told HT a special 24X7 control room has been set up at the state highway patrol command centre at the Old Customs House in South Mumbai to receive the calls. “The highway patrol control room was specifically chosen as highways are mostly used to transport cattle from neighbouring states,” he said.

Instructions have been issued to unit commanders (SPs in rural areas and police commissioners in urban pockets) to mount surveillance and dispatch help in case of crisis. “On receiving a call, the control room staff will pass on the information to the police station closest to the crisis point. Logs will be maintained to assess the action taken by the local police,” he said.

The move came on a day the Bombay high court refused to lay down guidelines to prevent cow vigilantes taking law in their own hands, saying adequate security measures have been taken by the state government to ensure that there is no disturbance caused by any self-proclaimed gau-rakshaks in Maharashtra during Bakri Eid.

Sources in the office of the director general of police (DGP) said vigilante groups have already been warned . “They can inform us about illegality, but they have to refrain from taking law in their own hands,” said the source.

The transporters can also seek help by calling on emergency police helpline -- 100 .