BJP takes up shooting of cow vigilante on Hyderabad outskirts

The BJP announced protests across Hyderabad on Thursday — including one outside the DGP’s office. Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar and state BJP president N. Ramchender visited Sonu in hospital and offered assistance.

Sonu and three cattle traders — Ibrahim, Azim, and Azzu — were known to each other and were allegedly involved in highway extortion of truckers and other cattle traders, police said.

Sonu, who stays intermittently at Rampally, Attapur, and Shankarpally in Hyderabad, had an altercation with cattle traders on the Shankarpally highway last week. On Wednesday evening, one driver, identified as Srinivas, allegedly called him to a tea stall to discuss his opposition to cattle traders, including those transporting cows.

“Sonu gave a statement to us at the hospital that they wanted to discuss an earlier incident when he stopped a truck transporting cows,” an official said.

At the tea stall, four people — Ibrahim, Azim, Azzu, and Srinivas — allegedly arrived in a car to meet Sonu. According to police, after an argument broke out, Sonu began walking away. Ibrahim, a known cattle trader from Shadnagar, allegedly went back to the car, brought out a weapon, and fired at Sonu, hitting him in the chest. As Sonu tried to flee, Ibrahim fired again but missed. The four then fled.

Bystanders alerted police, who took Sonu to a hospital.