Three women beaten up for shooing off a cow in Ahmedabad

AHMEDABAD: Shooing away a stray cow from feeding in the garbage bin kept outside their home resulted in three women being mercilessly beaten up by their neighbour in Thakkarnagar. Asmita Aalgiya (Patel), 42, a resident of Uttamnagar Society, Nikol Road in Thakkarnagar, her daughter Pinal, 22, and mother-in-law, Leelaben had to bear the violent tantrums of their cow-loving neighbour Manthan Suresh Mehta, whose beating also fractured one of Asmita's fingers. Police arrested the accused after Asmita lodged a complaint at Krishnanagar police station.
Though the incident had taken place on May 8, the women had kept quiet till May 10 from fear of their violent neighbour who had threatened them with dire consequences if they escalated the issue. However, unable to bear the pain in her finger, Asmita had to be treated at Khodiyar hospital in Nikol, where she found her finger had been fractured. After this, she, along with her sister and two men went to the police station and lodged a complaint.
Inspector P G Sarvaiya of Krishnanagar police station said, "Legal action has been taken against the accused neighbour for beating and abusing Asmita and her daughter and mother-in-law. We have arrested the accused."
Sarvaiya said that Aalgiya's husband is a diamond worker and they have two daughters Rushil, 20, and Pinal, 22. The family stays together with Aalgiya's in-laws.
The FIR states that about 10pm on the night of May 8, Asmita's mother-in-law heard some noise outside the house and found a cow feeding in the garbage bin kept outside their main door. The complainant's mother-in-law, Leelaben, then shooed away the cow by waving a stick and the cow went towards the main road. A neighbour, Manthan Mehta, who watched the incident, however, lost his cool and abusively asked Leelaben how she dared to scare the cow.
"The FIR mentions that Mehta hit Asmita on her left hand with a stick, slapped her daughter when she tried to save her, and then had a scuffle with the complainant's mother-in-law. When she raised an alarm, neighbours rushed in and pacified Mehta by saying the women won't do such a thing again," said a police source.