Bishrampur/Ambikapur. (13:03): In Bishrampur-Ambikapur, Chhattisgarh, villagers and Bajrang Dal workers caught seven cattle smugglers from Datima village and handed them over to the Karanji police. Infuriated by the cow smuggling, villagers and Bajrang Dal members blocked the road at Datima Chowk for three hours, demanding action from the District Magistrate and bulldozing the accused’s house. The police have arrested the suspects.
Recently, there has been a surge in cattle disappearance from villages like Kumda Basti and Datima, causing distress to cattle owners. Despite complaints, the police had not taken action. Vigilant villagers observed Devdhari alias Deva Rajwade and his companion spotting cows being gathered by Riyaz Mohammad Ansari and fire watcher Kunwar Sai, intending to transport them to a slaughterhouse in Jharkhand. Upon alerting others, the villagers and Bajrang Dal workers intervened, leading to the apprehension of the cattle smugglers.
The villagers and Bajrang Dal team handed over the two accused along with the recovered cows and calves to the Karanji police. The police charged Riyaz Mohammad Ansari and Kunwar Sai under sections 4, 6, 10 of the Chhattisgarh Farmers Animal Preservation Act 2004 and for cruelty to animals under Section 11 (1) (d) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960.
Following the arrests, villagers and Bajrang Dal workers staged a three-hour protest at Datima Chowk, demanding action against the main accused, Riyaz Mohammad Ansari, including the bulldozing of his house. Tehsildar Sameer Sharma assured legal action if the accused’s house is on government land, calming the agitators eventually. BJP leader Satyanarayan Jaiswal, Bajrang Dal district coordinator Sujit Singh, and several villagers participated in the protest.
