india

Updated: May 25, 2019 22:31 IST

Five suspected cow vigilantes were arrested on Saturday after a video went viral showing them assaulting three persons for allegedly carrying beef in Madhya Pradesh’s Seoni district, police said.

This is possibly the first case of cow vigilantism in Congress-led Madhya Pradesh. The Bharatiya Janata Party has won 28 of the 29 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

The “gau rakshaks” also allegedly forced one of the two men to beat up a woman accompanying them with chappals, sub-divisional officer (police) S K Pathak said. One of the accused posted the video on social media on May 23, but withdrew it following sharp reactions, he said.

However, the police took cognizance of the clip and traced the five attackers.

Pathak said the three persons who were beaten up have also been arrested after about 140 kg of red meat, suspected to be beef, was seized from them. Possession and sale of beef is illegal in Madhya Pradesh.

According to police, the incident occurred on May 22 Kanhiwada area under Dunda Seoni police station limits.

Seoni superintendent of police Lalit Shakyawar said an FIR has been registered against them under various IPC sections.

The Congress’s Seoni district president, Rajkumar Khurana, condemned the incidents, saying this was nothing but an attempt to scare people and extort money.

BJP Seoni district president Prem Tiwari said, “No one is allowed to take law in their own hands.”