BELAGAVI: Tension prevailed in Belagavi after a group of cow vigilantes stopped a truck transporting cows and thrashed two persons, including the driver injuring them severely, near Suvarna Vidhan Soudha at Halaga village in Belagavi taluk on Sunday.
The injured have been identified as Umar T K (46) and Sunil Kumar Nayar (38), both residents of Kerala. Both have been admitted to district hospital and are out of danger.
According to police sources, the cow vigilantes had received information that the truck was illegally transporting cows to Kerala for slaughtering.
They followed the truck and stopped it near Suvarna Vidhan Soudha. The vigilantes even pelted stones at the truck and thrashed the driver and his companion. The police rushed to the spot and faced a tough time in handling the vigilantes.
Former CM Jagadish Shettar, who was passing through the highway, stopped and enquired about the issue.
Shri Ram Sena Hindustan Chief Ramakant Konduskar and former MLA Sanjay Patil also reached the spot and inquired.
Police clarified that there were no cows in the truck. All of them were oxen, they said. When the vigilantes tried to release the oxen tied in that lorry, the police stopped them.
Following the same, verbal clashes broke out between the police and youth. Shettar convinced the youth to calm down and asked the police to take measures as per law.
The police have registered two complaints on Monday. Bharat Gundu Navage, resident of Veerapur Galli, Shahapur has lodged a complaint against lorry driver Sunil Kumar and cleaner Umar. In the complaint, he mentioned that the lorry which was travelling from Maharashtra towards Hubballi was transporting about 25 oxen for slaughtering without any safety measures or any permit.
Lorry driver Sunil Kumar lodged a counter complaint that more than 50 people holding sticks stopped his lorry near Suvarna Vidhana Soudha on NH-4. They used filthy language and thrashed him and also threatened to kill.
After registering both the cases, police personnel from Hire-Bagewadi police station have started the investigation.