BHOPAL: Five men have been arrested for assaulting and holding captive 24 men who were transporting cattle without valid papers in Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh on Sunday.
The police had lodged cases against the 12 for wrongful restraint and confinement, abusive behaviour under Sections 341, 342, 294 and 323 of IPC after videos showing them parade the 24 men with their hands tied went viral on social media on Sunday.
“Twelve men were booked for the violent act with the men caught transporting cattle to an animal fair in Maharashtra. Out of them, five have been arrested so far and efforts are on to nab the others,” Khandwa district police superintendent Shivdayal Singh told The New Indian Express on Tuesday.
The 24 men were caught on Sunday morning by the gau rakshaks and villagers in Khalwa area of the district, while transporting 20 cattle in eight pick-up vehicles.
The cow vigilantes along with the villagers tied the hands of the men, six of whom were Muslims, with ropes.
They were subsequently made to kneel down in a queue in full public view on a road before being forced to chant ‘gau mata ki jai’.
The transporters, residents of Harda, Khandwa, Sehore and Dewas districts, were then paraded for almost two km from Sawalikheda village to the Khalwa police station with hands tied, where the police arrested them for transporting cattle without proper documents.
The transporters were later booked under provisions of Madhya Pradesh Govansh Vadh Pratishedh Adhiniyam and provisions of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.
On their way to the police station, the men were forced to chant ‘gau mata ki jai’ and thrashed when they did not chant the slogan properly.
Headed to cattle fair
The men were caught by the gau rakshaks and villagers in Khalwa area of the district, while transporting the 20 cattle to an animal fair in Maharashtra, said police