New Delhi, Dec 4: In a fresh incident of violence over rumoured possession of beef, several people were injured in violent clashes in Palwal, near New Delhi, on Thursday morning.
The district’s animal husbandry department said that the now seized contentious meat is probably that of a camel and not cow which fuelled the violence, allegedly at the behest of vigilante right wing groups.
The injured include at least five policemen as well as a truck cleaner, whose thrashing started the chain of violence.
According to Palwal District Magistrate Ashok Kumar Meena at around 8 a.m., a truck carrying meat from Mewat to Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh via Palwal was intercepted by a large crowd.
While the truck driver managed to flee, the cleaner was thrashed.
They alleged that the truck was carrying meat sourced from cows and was hurtful to their religious sentiments. Some of them made a claim that the meat was being transported in connivance with policemen who had been bribed to facilitate the movement of beef.
By the time the police intervened, the truck was damaged. The police also failed to control the crowd, which started hurling stones at them. The policemen called for reinforcements. By the time additional forces arrived, the crowd had turned more aggressive, sources said.
The violence continued for over five hours, said Mr Meena. Dr Lalit Bhushan from Palwal’s District Animal Husbandry office said the meat appeared to be that of a camel but the samples seized would be tested for confirmation.
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