Seven injured as cow vigilantes assault cattle transporters in Maharashtra’s Jalna
Jalna: In a shocking case of cow vigilantism, seven men, including a 62-year-old, were injured after being assaulted by a mob in Jalna district of Maharashtra late Monday night. The victims, who were transporting cattle purchased from a weekly market, were attacked by a group of unidentified assailants accusing them of taking the animals for slaughter.
According to police sources, the complainant, a 62-year-old man, said his employer, trader Padam Rajput of Borgaon Wadi in Sillod tehsil, had bought 21 bulls from the Wadod Bazaar in Phulambri tehsil. The cattle were being transported in two vehicles, MH-20 EL 7887 and KA 51 DA 4363, to Nalegaon in Latur district’s Chakur tehsil.
When the vehicles reached Londewadi village in Jalna tehsil, the attackers allegedly intercepted them and began beating the transporters with sticks and logs. Despite the victims’ claim that the cattle were for agricultural purposes and that they possessed valid purchase documents, the assault continued.
Police later arrived at the scene, rescued the injured men, and seized the cattle, which were sent to a cow shelter in Ramnagar. However, the complainant alleged that the same group followed them to the shelter and continued the assault even in the presence of police officers.
Social worker Reema Kale-Kharat, who later intervened, accused the police of initially detaining the victims and filing a case against them under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act instead of acting against the attackers. Following her intervention, the police registered an FIR against 10 to 20 unidentified persons for the assault.
The injured were identified as Nisar Patel, Asif Shaikh, Riyaz Qureshi, Sajid Pasha, Asif Sadiq, Javed Qureshi, and Sayyed Parvez, all of whom sustained head and body injuries.
Complainant Nisar Patel alleged that the assailants arrived in a Scorpio vehicle and continued attacking them even at the cow shelter. “How can the police register a case against unidentified persons when we clearly saw who attacked us?” Patel asked, further claiming that the police detained them for nearly 12 hours before taking their complaint.
Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Anant Kulkarni denied that the assault occurred in the presence of police officers. “There was some dispute between the two parties, and we are investigating the matter,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Federation of Maharashtra Muslims (FMM) Jalna unit condemned the incident and demanded immediate action against the attackers. FMM convenor Safir Ahmed recalled that in August 2025, the Maharashtra Police, following directions from Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, had issued a circular stating that only police are authorized to act against illegal transportation of animals.
The circular explicitly prohibits private individuals or cow vigilante groups from stopping or checking vehicles transporting cattle. Despite this directive, Safir alleged, such vigilante attacks continue unabated in several parts of the state.
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Chhattisgarh govt enforces austerity measures, restricts foreign travel and cuts convoy vehicles
Raipur (PTI): The Chhattisgarh government on Saturday rolled out a set of austerity measures, including restricted use of convoy vehicles for the chief minister, ministers and heads of state-run bodies, besides curbs on foreign travel at government expense.
The state has decided to implement the cost-saving steps with immediate effect to ensure efficient management of financial resources and discipline in public spending, said a directive issued by Finance Secretary Rohit Yadav.
The move follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal for austerity amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
The order said that only essential vehicles should be used in the convoys of the CM, ministers and office-bearers of corporations, boards and commissions, while ensuring restrained use of other government resources.
It also directed departments to take steps for a phased conversion of all official vehicles into electric vehicles in order to promote the use of EVs.
As part of fuel-saving measures, expenditure on petrol and diesel for government vehicles should be kept to a minimum, the directive said.
Vehicle pooling arrangements should also be implemented for officials of departments travelling to the same destination, it added.
The order further stated that foreign travel of government employees at state expenses will be completely prohibited except under extremely unavoidable circumstances. In such cases, prior approval of the CM will be mandatory.
To reduce administrative expenditure, departments have been instructed to hold physical meetings preferably only once a month and encourage virtual and online meetings. Regular departmental review meetings should compulsorily be conducted through video conferencing, it said.
The government also stressed the need for energy conservation in its offices, directing that all electrical equipment, including lights, fans, air-conditioners and computers, must be switched off after office hours.
The directive will remain effective till September 30 this year.
Amid the war involving the US, Israel and Iran, Modi has suggested reducing petrol and diesel consumption, using metro rail services in cities, carpooling, increased use of EVs, utilising railway services for parcel movement and working from home to conserve foreign exchange.
