Meerut police to book entire family if beef found in home

Days after the violence in which an inspector and a youth were killed by an unruly mob in Bulandshahr, the Meerut police is going extra miles to control illegal slaughtering of cows, which they believe act as a trigger for mobs to take law into their hands.

While raising awareness and administering pledge to villagers is being taken on a priority basis, desperate officials have also asked the police to register case against the entire family if beef is found in the house of any individual. “Cow slaughtering is a sensitive issue. We want people to inform the police if they come across such cases,” said SP (rural) Rajesh Kumar.

“If beef is found in a house it means the family members are hiding a crime and helping those who are involved in it. Therefore, they are also equally responsible and hence will also be booked,” he said .

“Cow slaughtering is illegal in the state, therefore keeping its meat at home is also an offence,” said senior criminal lawyer Om Prakash Sharma.

“Family members must not hide it and if they do so police can initiate action against each member of the family,” Sharma said .Also, the police have asked people with arms licenses to act as a cow vigilant and help them keep a check on such incidents. As preventive measure, cops of different police stations had convened meetings in different villages where they administered pledge for social boycott of cow slaughterers to villagers.

Police sources said meeting took place in Jani, Kayath Badda, Harra, Khiwai, Saroorpur, Bhawanpur, Mawana, Inchouli, Daurala, Khirwa, Pitholkar, Nanglasahu and Aurangabad villages of the district.

In yet another initiative, senior officials have directed cops to book cow slaughterers under Goonda Act, Gangster Act and National Security Act so that they remain in jail for a longer time frame.

First Published: Dec 15, 2018 23:12 IST