Eight Youth Congress (YC) workers were arrested on Thursday in connection with the public slaughter of a bull here on May 27 in protest against the Central government’s notification banning sale of cattle for slaughter in farm markets.
The Kannur City police arrested Youth Congress Kannur Parliament constituency committee president Rijil Makutty and YC functionaries and workers A. Hari, Joshi Kandathil, Sharafuddin Kattampally, N.K. Varun, Sudeep James, Jastison Chandikolli and Shamej Peralasseri. The police also arrested the butcher, identified as Muthalib.
The police said a case was registered against them under Sections 3 (infliction of unnecessary pain and suffering on animals) and 11 (treating animals cruelly) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, Indian Penal Code Section 143 (unlawful assembly) and the the Kerala Police Act’s section 120(a) (causing inconvenience to the public).
As the offences were bailable, the arrested were later released on bail. If found guilty, they would receive jail term for up to one year and a fine of up to ₹5,000.
The YC workers’ public slaughter of the animal had kicked up a row as it was condemned by Sangh Parivar leaders as also Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi.
Mr. Makutty, Mr. Kandathil and Mr. Kattampally had been suspended from the YC and the Congress following the incident.
The protesting YC workers had taken the young bull to Kannur city, a residential area, in the Kannur Corporation limits, and got the animal slaughtered amid chants of slogans denouncing the Centre’s notification.
The police registered the case following a complaint by a Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha worker. The issue grabbed national attention after Sangh Parivar leaders including BJP State president Kummanam Rajashekharan and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath condemned it.