(IN) Butchers assault PAWS volunteers as policemen stand by and watch

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Butchers assault PAWS volunteers as policemen stand by and watch

 

Two animal rights activists allege butchers attacked them in Kalyan's

Bail Bazaar area while trying to rescue calves

 

By Yogesh Sadhwani

Posted On Thursday, August 06, 2009 at 02:57:52 AM

 

Two female animal rights activists have alleged that they were assaulted

by butchers while trying to rescue a few calves - even as police stood

by and watched.

 

Manasi Bhanage of the Plant and Animals Welfare Society (PAWS) said on

Tuesday evening one of the volunteers spotted a few calves outside the

municipal slaughter house in Kalyan's Bail Bazaar area. " As per the

rules, cows and calves cannot be slaughtered. The volunteers got

suspicious and informed the team, " she said, adding that around 10

volunteers rushed to the spot to rescue the calves.

 

However, she alleged that when the volunteers reached the spot, the

butchers who were holding the calves, threatened them and asked them to

back off. " We spotted four policemen standing nearby but the officers

said that they were from another police station.

 

We pleaded with them for help, but in vain, " said Bhanage. She said one

of the officers was Prabhakar Bargav, who was on an official motorcycle

(MH 05 AN 1299). Realising that police were not going to intervene,

Bhanage said, the butchers turned violent and assaulted her and Parinita

Joshi, another PAWS volunteer. The duo was beaten by nearly 25 men, she

added. The male volunteers were restrained from helping the women.

 

Joshi added, " To top this they strangled one calf in front of us to tell

us that we would be treated similarly if we didn't back off. " The drama

lasted for half an hour and in the end, the attackers put all the calves

in a truck and left.

 

The PAWS volunteers then went to Bazarpeth Police Station to register a

complaint. " Meanwhile, the attackers threatened a volunteer, who was

standing outside the police station, with dire consequences if we

complained. They, too, came on a motorcycle (MH 05 AY 1197), " Bhanage

added. The volunteers registered another complaint of intimidation.

 

Police registered an FIR against unknown attackers for taking away

calves and assaulting Bhanage and Joshi, and intimidating a volunteer.

However, at the time of going to press, police had not made any

breakthrough in finding the attackers or tracing the calves. " We have

registered an offence. We will also question the policemen who were in

the area and find out why they didn't do anything. It is a serious

lapse, " said Senior Inspector Chandrakant Thorat