Till air is cleared on carcass, he won’t be back

The deadlock between cattle pounds and carcass disposal contractor Abdullah Sheikh continued in Viramgam, even as pound managers failed to i...

The deadlock between cattle pounds and carcass disposal contractor Abdullah Sheikh continued in Viramgam, even as pound managers failed to issue a public clarification. Abdullah, who was accused of slaughtering cows while he was actually disposing of dead ones, insists he will start work only after a clarification from them.

The episode had triggered arson and violence in Viramgam. Abdullah’s helpers, who are Hindu chamars, fled after the violence and there is nobody to remove the carcasses now.

Abdullah, who also has a home in Juhapura in Ahmedabad, shifted here on Sunday evening. He had removed 200 carcasses from three cattle pounds in Viramgam on Saturday and Sunday. All this to pacify the Jains, in the period of Paryushan.

‘‘Jains are in the middle of their festival and I respect their feelings. It would hurt them if dead cows rot in panjrapoles. I had to remove them myself since all the helpers did not report to work, fearing for their lives, after we were accused of slaughter. I engaged a couple of youth who reluctantly helped and we managed to remove around 200 cows and dump them,’’ Abdullah said.

‘‘But that is it. I am not going back to the panjrapoles again till they issue a clarification that I was not slaughtering cows last week. The accusations have dented my image. People see me as a butcher and they need to be told the truth. The panjrapoles, for some reason, have not issued a clarification yet. If they don’t, I won’t continue the work,’’ said Abdullah, who also owns a computerised weighing bridge for goods carriers in Viramgam.

Manager of Shri Viramgam Khodador Panjrapole Sanstha Yashwant Mehta said: ‘‘The trustees have not yet decided whether to issue a public clarification.’’

District Development Officer D.H. Brahmbhatt says, if the deadlock continues then municipalities may have to hire others. Those who perpetrated the violence in Viramgam over the issue have gone scot-free, Abdullah is being pestered by the administration and the police to remove the carcasses. ‘‘I received several calls. Now, all helpers have fled. How can I remove them? I tried hiring JCB machines but no one is ready to lend them for this work,’’ he said.