Latest news with #PunjabProhibitionofCowSlaughterAct
Indian Express
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
11 arrested in Punjab's Phagwara ‘beef packaging' case, forensic report awaited
Amid growing political friction over the alleged targeting of migrants from West Bengal in opposition-ruled states, the Punjab Police have so far arrested 11 people, including six from the eastern state in connection with an alleged beef packaging operation near Phagwara. The arrests follow a raid on July 2 based on a tip-off from Gurpreet Singh, national president of the United Gau Raksha Dal. Police also confirmed that one of the arrested accused is a minor and has been sent to a juvenile home. The 10 others are lodged at Kapurthala Central Jail. A Rohingya national from Myanmar is among the accused still absconding, with several others yet to be identified, police said. Police said that the raid was conducted at a cold storage unit operating behind Jyoti Vaishno Dhaba in Chachoki village, located along the Ludhiana side of the GT Road. Suspected beef was recovered during the raid, and samples were sent for forensic testing, the results of which are awaited. Those initially arrested included Mukhtiyar Alam, Azaad, Zakir Hussain, Rehana Alam, and Minjar Ali, and a juvenile all residents of Malda district in West Bengal; Taseem from Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh); Arsad from UP; and Madan Shah from Chachrari village in Jalandhar. Later, the alleged key accused — Vijay Kumar of Phagwara and Husan Lal of Chachoki village, Kapurthala — were also apprehended. Inspector Usha Rani, Station House Officer of Phagwara City Police Station, told The Indian Express that the accused were reportedly involved in this illegal operation for the past 2-3 months. However, she clarified that no slaughtering was done on-site; only packaging of meat was allegedly taking place at the unit. The case has triggered a political and religious backlash. Local leaders from Parshuram Sena and Brahmin Mandal condemned the incident and demanded that the case be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a more transparent probe, citing its communal sensitivity. Inderjit Karwal, vice-president of Shiv Sena Punjab, also appealed to CM Bhagwant Mann and DGP Gaurav Yadav to investigate the potential connections between the accused and local politicians, administrative officials, and law enforcement personnel. The original complaint was lodged by Gurpreet Singh, who alleged that beef was being processed at the cold storage attached to Jyoti Dhaba and then supplied to Delhi and Srinagar. He claimed this posed a serious threat to communal harmony and urged for immediate police action. A case was registered under Sections 299 (hurting religious sentiments), 325 (mischief by killing animals), and 111 (organised crime) of BNS along with provisions of the Punjab Prohibition of Cow Slaughter Act, 1955, and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
The Hindu
18-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Six migrant workers from Bengal arrested in Punjab under cow slaughter law
More reports of arrest and detention of migrant workers from West Bengal have emerged from different parts of the country, with the latest incident involving the arrest of six workers from Malda district in Punjab. The migrant workers - identified as Mukhtar Ali, Minjar Ali, Zakir Hossain, Rayhan Alam, Kurban Ali, and Azam - were reportedly arrested from Chanchal in Malda by the Phagwara Police Station in Kapurthala on the basis of an FIR dated July 2. The charges include offences under the Punjab Prohibition of Cow Slaughter Act, 1955. The arrests in an Opposition-ruled State come at a time when there are mounting reports of migrant workers from West Bengal being detained or harassed in several BJP-ruled States, including Maharashtra, Delhi, Odisha, and Rajasthan. Family members of the six detained workers claimed that they had travelled to Punjab for employment in poultry units and were 'wrongly arrested' under cow slaughter charges. In a letter addressed to Samirul Islam, Chairperson of the West Bengal Migrant Welfare Board, a Labour Commissioner from Malda highlighted that the six migrant workers are currently lodged in Kapurthala Central Jail. 'They do not have the means to fight the case in the court. If arrangements can be made for their release, it would be greatly appreciated. They may be provided necessary legal assistance through SLSA Punjab or DLSA of that district for appropriate relief of these six migrant workers,' the letter said. Mr. Islam, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP, said the Board has arranged legal representation for the workers and expressed hope that they would be released soon. He further clarified that the situation in Punjab is not comparable to that in BJP-ruled States, where migrant workers are allegedly being harassed on suspicion of being Bangladeshi nationals.
