Three men, who were allegedly assaulted in Delhi’s Kalkaji area while transporting buffaloes in a truck to the Ghazipur Mandi, claimed that they were roughed up by animal rights activists and not by the locals.
Rizwan, the truck driver, still shudders as he recalls the night of April 22 when his vehicle was intercepted by the “animal rights activists” who then went on to physically assault him and two others in the truck.
Saurabh Gupta, who claims to be a member of the People For Animals (PFA), an NGO, had claimed on Sunday that the trio was beaten up by the locals while they had reached the spot much later. The NGO though has denied any association with Gupta or any of the attackers.
The trio on Monday refuted Gupta's claim. “It was not the locals, but those who got off the cars with PFA stickers, who beat us black and blue. We were fearing for our lives,” Rizwan said while narrating his ordeal.
He claimed that the attackers were saying "you are smuggling cows, we will teach you a lesson" and even made disparaging remarks against Muslims. "The locals, in fact, intervened and questioned the attackers who told them that we were indulging in illegal activities by transporting cows. “When the locals saw that the animals in the truck were buffaloes, they tried to pacify the attackers, but in vain,” said Rizwan.
Ashu, who was accompanying Rizwan on the night of April 22, said his family members remained constantly worried whenever he was out on work ever since a similar incident was reported from Rajasthan’s Alwar district. “They keep calling me inquiring about my safety. We kept hearing about such attacks but never thought we would also face such attack,” he said.
Buying and selling cattle had been their family business for decades and they had no other means of livelihood, said Ashu.