One killed after Karnataka ‘cow vigilantes’ stop vehicle with cattle, assault 3
Police sources said the truck carrying cattle was stopped near the Sathanur police station. Pasha reportedly showed documents to prove that they had bought the cattle from the local market, but they were still assaulted, and allegedly told to go to Pakistan.
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The incident came to light when the police arrested the driver of the container, Syed Zaheer, for illegal cow transportation based on Kerehalli’s complaint. (File) A 35-year-old man was killed when a group of at least five ‘cow vigilantes’ allegedly assaulted him and two others while they were transporting cattle in a truck, in Ramanagara district, about 20 km from Bengaluru, late on Friday night.
The victim, Idrees Pasha, has been identified as a resident of Mandya district. According to police sources, Pasha and two others, Syed Zaheer and Irfan, were taking cattle bought from the local market to Kerala and Tamil Nadu when their vehicle was allegedly intercepted by a group led by Puneeth Kerehalli, who runs an organisation called the Rashtra Rakshana Pade (Nation Protection Army).
A resident of Hassan district, Kerehalli faces multiple cases in Karnataka. Earlier, he had launched campaigns against halal meat in Karnataka and for banning Muslim traders from Hindu temple fairs.
Police sources said the truck carrying cattle was stopped near the Sathanur police station. Pasha reportedly showed documents to prove that they had bought the cattle from the local market, but they were still assaulted, and allegedly told to go to Pakistan.
Pasha and Irfan then ran away. While Irfan managed to escape, Pasha was allegedly caught and assaulted. He was later found dead.
Meanwhile, two other men allegedly assaulted Zaheer who remained near the vehicle. A constable then took Zaheer and Kerehalli to the police station. Based on Kerehalli’s complaint, Zaheer, who was driving the vehicle, and his associates were booked under sections of the Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Cattle Prevention Act, Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, Transportation of Animals Act, and Motor Vehicles Act.
It was only in the morning that Pasha’s death came to light, when a resident informed the police about a body in the area. Zaheer later lodged a complaint against Kerehalli and his associates, after which the police registered a murder case against them. No arrests have been made yet.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Zaheer (40) said they usually take cattle to the weekly fairs in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. “It was about 11.40 pm (on Friday). We were taking 16 cattle in our lorry when some people claiming to be cow vigilantes intercepted us in front of the Sathanur police station. They attacked us, and told us to go to Pakistan. Pasha and Irfan ran away, but I stayed there. Fortunately, a police constable rushed towards us and took us to the police station.”
“While I was at the police station on Saturday morning, the police showed me a photo of Pasha and asked whether I knew him. I told them that he was with me in the lorry when the incident took place. They told me he was dead,” he said, adding, “I thought he and Irfan had escaped.”
Asked why Pasha and Irfan had tried to flee, he said: “In these cases, they (cow vigilantes) first assault us and then take us to the police station. In order to escape from the assault, they ran away.”
Zaheer said that while the cattle belonged to someone else, he and Pasha used to drive the vehicle, while Irfan helped to load and unload the animals.
When contacted, Ramanagara SP Karthik Reddy said a murder case has been filed, based on the complaint. “The post-mortem was conducted on Saturday night and we are awaiting the report. As the case is under investigation, I will not be able to divulge preliminary probe details. The accused are yet to be arrested,” he said.
Meanwhile, Pasha’s family members staged a protest on Saturday and demanded the arrest of Kerehalli and his associates.
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