The Delhi Police on Monday arrested a 32-year-old businessman for allegedly physically assaulting three men who were transporting buffaloes in a truck in South-East Delhi’s Kalkaji area on Saturday night.
Romil Baaniya, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) said that the accused, Shashank Sharma lives in Rohini and rents out vehicles to ferry school children.
“We have registered a case under 323 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (Punishment for wrongful restraint) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code with the Kalkaji police ,” the DCP said.
Sharma claimed to be a member of the People For Animals (PFA), an NGO founded and chaired by Union Minister Maneka Gandhi, Baaniya added.
Meanwhile, another accused Gaurav Gupta, who also claims to be a member of PFA, who was part of the group which attacked the three men, has been absconding since the incident.
Investigation into the incident where three men were brutally roughed by the alleged animal rights activist, the local police found that it is not the first time that Gaurav Gupta had been involved in assaulting people on the suspicion that they were carrying camels.
About two years ago, on August 4, Gaurav Gupta had allegedly complained at Shakarpur police station about camels being illegally transported towards Yamuna Khadar. Even this time, Gaurav Gupta had claimed to be the complainant in the Kalkaji matter where he made the PCR call.
Moreover, one of the eyewitnesses, Khaliza said, “There were 25-30 people who had surrounded the truck.
They all were shouting slogans like ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Maaro Salo ko’. I went to the local police station and waited for the SHO but left without filing any complaint.
At the time of the incident, I was with my 16-year-old daughter and in a state of fear, I left the place. However, the next day I came to file a police complaint.”
On Saturday night, members of the PFA gathered near the Kalkaji temple on Ring road and had stopped the truck. The three accused Rizwan, Ashu and Kamil were arrested on Sunday and later released on bail.
Following the incident, two FIRs were filed one against the three men for inhumane transportation of the cattle and another against those who assaulted them.
The trio were booked for mischief by killing or maiming cattle and under relevant provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act as they were carrying more number of animals in a truck than rules permit. The men, however, had legal transit papers for transporting the animals.
The second case of voluntarily causing hurt and wrongful restraint was registered against the unidentified members of the PFA, according to police officers.
Refusing to associate the incident as part of a regular raiding team, the PFA addressed a letter to Gaurav Gupta asking him to adhere to law and not conduct raids in personal capacity.