Four accused identified on the basis of viral video in the Mandsaur incident where two Muslim women were roughed up for allegedly carrying beef have been arrested.
Ratlam Government Railway Police (GRP) deputy superintendent of police DRS Chauhan said that four persons, identified as Govind Rao Chouhan, Dilip Devda, Swadesh Chanal and Vikas Ahir, were arrested on Thursday in connection with the incident. The accused were identified on the basis of a video footage, he added.
Regarding the women involved in the incident, the DSP said that after their identification they too would be arrested, and added that efforts are on to trace them.
The four men arrested have been booked under sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the IPC, Chauhan added.
Notably, the case was initially registered by Mandsaur police and later transferred to the GRP as the incident took place on the railway platform.
Home Minister Bhupendra Singh on Thursday morning said that one accused had been arrested in connection with the Mandsaur incident where two Muslim women were roughed up for allegedly carrying beef, adding the State Government is making all efforts to nab the rest of the guilty.
Singh said, "An FIR was registered on Wednesday in the Mandsaur case and on the basis of the FIR we have arrested one person named Govind Rao. We are trying our best to arrest rest of the accused by today evening."
Singh had said yesterday that action would be initiated against those who attempted to take the law into their own hands. "The veterinary report stated that prima facie it was found to be buffalo meat. No one should take the law into one's own hands. If report comes from the women, we will take action against those who have tried to take the law into their own hands," Singh told media persons.
A local court on Wednesday evening granted bail to the two Muslim women charged with carrying buffalo meat unlawfully after allegedly being beaten up by cow vigilantes on Tuesday. The bail was granted on personal bonds of Rs25,000 each and surety of equal amount.
The two women were earlier booked under Madhya Pradesh's anti-cow slaughter Act, which provides for a maximum punishment of seven years.
The incident spurred the Opposition to attack the Centre in Parliament over increasing violence by cow vigilantes. A video of the incident shows a crowd cornering the women before verbally abusing and beating them.