Meat Trader Assaulted in Aligarh Over Cow Meat Allegations

Incident Overview

A 45-year-old meat vendor was reportedly attacked by a group of individuals in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, on Saturday. The assailants accused him of transporting cow meat, although he insisted that he was carrying buffalo meat sourced from a licensed supplier.

Authorities have confirmed the arrest of two suspects linked to the incident.

Shareef Qureshi was targeted while riding his motorcycle to his shop in the Harduaganj locality. He was intercepted on Hanumgarhi Road by several men who arrived on motorcycles and in a vehicle.

In his report to the police, Qureshi stated that the attackers assaulted him with bricks and hurled verbal insults. His family claimed that the assailants also destroyed his legitimate purchase documents, asserting that the meat was cow meat.

Rajeev Dwivedi, the circle officer for Aligarh, indicated that a case has been filed based on Qureshi's allegations. The charges include rioting, wrongful restraint, causing bodily harm, and criminal intimidation, among others.

The individuals named in the complaint are Anuj Pandit, Sheelu Rajput, Naveen Chaudhary, Sumit Thakur, Aditya Hindu, Yashu Pandit, and Prashant Jatav, along with 10 to 12 unidentified accomplices, all from Harduaganj.

As per the circle officer, Pandit and Rajput have been apprehended. Qureshi had reportedly purchased between 20 to 25 kilograms of meat from a licensed vendor in Aligarh and was en route to his shop when the incident occurred.

A sample of the meat taken from Qureshi has been sent to a laboratory in Mathura for analysis to confirm its type.