As many as 24 men were thrashed and forced to chant "Gau Mata ki Jai" by a gang of cow vigilantes in Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh.
The group of these 24 men was allegedly transporting cattle to an animal fair in Maharashtra. A disturbing video of this whole incident has gone viral on social media.
In the video, 15 men can be see tied together with a rope and forced to kneel by the side of the road, in front of everyone. They are also being forced to chant "Gau Mata ki Jai".
In the video, a man in a white shirt is seen recording a close up video or photograph of each man's face, while two others stand guard over the tied-up men.
The men were attacked by a group of 100 vigilantes from Savalikeda village. According to the vigilantes, the men were transporting 200 cattle for slaughter. They were tied up and paraded through the streets on their way to the Khalwa police station, which is about 3 km from the village.
District Superintendent Shivdayal Singh said, "With none of the 24 men possessing valid documents to prove their claims and also transporting the cattle in vehicles in consonance with relevant guidelines, they were arrested and booked under provisions of the Madhya Pradesh Govansh Vadh Pratishedh Adhiniyam and provisions of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act."
Till now, no action has been taken against the vigilantes, though the police say they are investigating.
The shocking incident took place a day before the start of the monsoon session of the state assembly where, among others, a bill against cow vigilantism is to be introduced.
If passed, the bill will allow those convicted under it to be jailed for between six months and five years, as well as be fined up to Rs 50,000. The existing cow protection regulation has no provision of a jail term or fine.
(With inputs from agencies)
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