Angry over the alleged smuggling of hundreds of cattle for slaughter, locals smashed over a dozen trucks transporting these animals and set one on fire at Central Delhi’s ITO on Saturday night. The trucks were intercepted by an NGO working for animals. The animals were reportedly in a pathetic condition, and many of them allegedly had broken limbs or were left sedated.
The protests, however, led to major traffic jam at the busy Ring Road for hours. The trucks were reportedly taking the animals to Gazipur for slaughter.
Other than the NGO, scores of locals and commuters also damaged the trucks and thrashed the alleged cattle rustlers. The rescued animals included 500-600 cows and buffaloes as well as about 300 sheep and goats. Most of the animals were in a pathetic condition, which left the public agitated.
“The animals were piled on top of each other with their limbs folded and in many cases broken, unable to stand or move. Some had chilli powder rubbed into their eyes. Some pregnant buffaloes even delivered their calves amidst the chaos,” said Saurabh Gupta, who identified himself as Maneka Gandhi’s PRO, chairperson of the NGO People for Animals (PFA) which conducted the raid. Gupta said the NGO had received information that the animals, allegedly procured from States like Haryana and Rajasthan, were being transported to an abattoir.
“We chose not to inform the police in advance as the Station House Officer (SHO) of IP Estate police station, as they let off four of six trucks with animals we raided earlier on Friday,” he alleged. The SHO, meanwhile, claimed that the NGO had caught only two trucks that night.PFA members, however, on a tip-off waited near the Delhi Police Headquarters area at ITO on Saturday night for the arrival of these trucks. They caught the first truck at about 11 pm on the ITO Bridge.
“We informed the local commuters about the raids and told them to block the road with their vehicles. However, when caught, the smugglers even resorted to ramming into other vehicles to escape,” said Gupta.However, eight of these trucks were seized by East Delhi’s Shakarpur police station while nine of them by IP Estate police. About six men were arrested by Shakarpur police station and efforts are on to nab more, police said. The rescued animals are currently being cared for by the NGO.
“Several truck drivers and others, involved in the smuggling, were thrashed by the public. Many escaped by locking the trucks and taking the keys with them,” an official added.Meanwhile, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) provided water tankers while the public offered food to the parched animals.
The step adopted by the NGO was one of the reasons for the massive traffic jam that began at 11 pm and extended till Sunday morning. At about 3 am, one side of the ITO Bridge was opened and vehicle movement eased a bit.
The angry public also started beating the accused. About eight-10 trucks were smashed and one was set ablaze.