A ‘Gau Rakshak’ was allegedly shot at by six cow smugglers at around 3.00 am on Thursday morning. The incident took place when a gang of cow smugglers were transporting five cows from Gurugram to Mewat district in Haryana.
The injured man has been identified as Mohit alias Monu, a resident of Manesar. Police said that Monu sustained a gunshot wound in his chest and is undergoing treatment at Gurugram’s Medanta Hospital where his condition is said to be out of danger.
According to Rajeev Deshwal, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Gurugram, around 3 AM on Thursday police were informed that a few cow smugglers were carrying cattles in a Mahindra pick-up van.
“Some Gau-Rakshaks who were also following the van informed police regarding the cow smugglers. Police also followed the smugglers' van. On the way, the smugglers started throwing the cattle from the van in order to stop the police and gau-rakshaks vehicles,” said the DCP.
“A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC). The vehicle in which the purported smugglers were travelling was found abandoned near Tauru village area,” Gurugram Police spokesman Subhash Boken said.
“Police have identified five out of six smugglers who managed to escape. The accused have been identified as Anjum, Liaqat, Qayyum, Ishtiyaq and Dilshad all are a resident of Hussainpur village in Mewat district. A manhunt has been initiated to nab the accused,” he added.
According to Manoj Yadav, a member of Gau Rakshak Dal, the incident took place near the government school in Kadipur. “We started chasing them from Bhondsi and continued the chase till Kadipur near the government school. They had stopped the vehicle near the school when we got down to see inside the car but they were holed up inside the vehicle and shot at Mohit with an intention to kill him," he said.
Later on Thursday, several Hindu outfits staged a protest against the state government and were demanding immediate arrest of the accused cattle smugglers.
“I have known Monu for at least 10 years. He is an essential part of the cow vigilantes in the city and regularly catches the smugglers. We need strict action against the culprits and they should be arrested soon” Rajeev Mittal, national general secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Kranti Dal, said.
