11 homes demolished over ‘beef in fridges’, Madhya Pradesh authorities claim they had given prior notice

Police registered an FIR against 11 people under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and the Cow Slaughter Prohibition Act at Nainpur police station in Mandla.

The incident took place Saturday at the Bhainswahi village of Nainpur. Police officers who raided the houses also arrested one of the 11 accused. A team has been formed to arrest the rest. The arrested accused, Wahid Qureshi, has been sent to judicial custody.

Police said five-six of the accused had been involved in cases of cattle smuggling in the past, too.

On the demolition, Mandla Superintendent of Police Rajat Sacklecha told The Indian Express that the homes were illegally built on 15,000 square feet of government land. “This land was earmarked for grazing of cattle by the local authorities,” he said.

The SP said local revenue teams had sent notices pertaining to the “illegal” encroachments a while ago. “The accused had ample opportunity to respond. When this case came to light, local authorities moved swiftly against the accused and demolished illegal portions in 11 homes,” he said. Nainpur SDM Sonal Sidam said “a case regarding this matter (of illegal encroachments) was going on here earlier also. On Saturday, the Revenue Department team took action to remove the encroachment.”

On the cattle smuggling allegations, the SP said, “The village had seen five-six cases of cattle smuggling in the past, and there is regular police activity in this village. This time, we got an input and decided to go with three teams headed by senior officers. They managed to conduct a large area search. In 11 homes, we recovered beef from their fridge, over 100 animal hides and skeletons, including one large consignment abandoned inside a pick-up truck. We also found 150 live cows packed in tiny homes. They have been shifted to a local cattle shelter… The Bhainswahi area has become a hub of cow smuggling for some time.”

Police alleged that the meat was meant to be used for local consumption while the hides were supposed to be sold to leather businessmen in Jabalpur.

A senior officer investigating the case said “this racket” of alleged cattle smugglers was operating between Mandla and Jabalpur. “The main accused has a relative who is in this business in Jabalpur. The bones were meant to be used for supplement and the meat as fat in other edible oil products,” the officer said.

SP Sacklecha said Saturday’s action was taken on the basis of inputs collected over the past few weeks from local informers.

Nainpur SHO Inder Baldev said he had been building local sources to pinpoint the location of the accused. “Everyone knew that area had some cow slaughter cases. In adjoining villages, this problem is not that prevalent. Two of the accused are from Damoh, while the rest are locals – unemployed or landless villagers who worked in this illegal profession for over 15 years,” he said.

Baldev alleged that the accused bought cattle from the local tribal community at animal markets and tried to sell them to local markets in Mandla and Jabalpur.

The Madhya Pradesh government has asked the local police in the state to crack down on illegal cattle smuggling and cow slaughter. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav decided to observe 2024 as the ‘Gauvansh Raksha Varsh’ or bovine protection year.

Speaking on the demolitions, CM Yadav said, “The heinous act of cruelty on cows cannot be tolerated at any cost. Police took action in Bhainswahi village of Mandla district and saved about 150 cows. Eleven FIRs have been registered against the accused. Eleven houses and six godowns of these 11 encroachers were freed from encroachment and encroachment was removed from a total area of 12,728 square feet.”