Mandsaur: Woman alleges assault was at Bajrang Dal men's behest; 4 held

MANDSAUR: The two Muslim women who were thrashed at Mandsaur railway station on the suspicion of carrying beef today alleged that they were beaten at the behest of Bajrang Dal workers, even as the GRP arrested four persons in this connection. "When we were coming to Mandsaur, few Bajrang Dal activists stopped us and enquired about what we were carrying. We told them that it was 'Paade ke meat' (buffalo calf meat) they did not listen to us and said that it was beef," Salma, one of the victims, said. "Later, when we told them that get it examined from a doctor (veterinarian), they did not agree to it and asked the other women with them to beat us," she alleged. The woman further alleged that they (activists) also threatened policemen when the latter tried to protect them. The victims, Salma Mevati (35) and Shamim Akthar Hussain (30), both local residents were allegedly thrashed by self-appointed cow vigilantes. Later, police arrested the duo on suspicion of carrying beef. However, after medical examination when it was found that it was buffalo meat, police dropped the charges against them of carrying beef. Subsequently, a local court last evening granted bail to the two women. Salma demanded that those who attacked them and took law into their hands should be arrested soon. The case was initially registered by Mandsaur Police and later transferred to the Government Railway Police (GRP) as the incident took place on the railway platform. GRP Ratlam's Deputy Superintendent of Police D R S Chauhan said that four persons, identified as Govind Rao Chouhan, Dilip Devda, Swadesh Chanal and Vikas Ahir, were arrested today in connection with the incident. They were identified on the basis of a video footage. Regarding women involved in the incident, the DSP said that after their identification they too would be arrested, and added that efforts are on to trace them. The four men arrested have been booked under sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of IPC, Chauhan added. The incident came close on the heels of the attack on Dalit youths in Gujarat by cow vigilantes for skinning a dead cow, drawing outrage and triggering a slugfest between BJP and its rivals. The opposition BSP and Congress had yesterday created uproar in Rajya Sabha over the issue.