Police parade, assault cow slaughter accused in Ujjain, Hindutva groups felicitate officers
Ujjain: Two Muslim men accused of cow slaughter were publicly paraded and assaulted by the police in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain earlier this week, triggering controversy.
Videos of the incident, which occurred on Monday, show the accused being forced to chant slogans while being beaten with a baton. The two men, identified as 37-year-old Salim Mewati and 23-year-old Aaqib Mewati, were marched through the streets by a group of police personnel. During the parade, they were made to chant, “The cow is our mother, the police is our father.” Footage shows an officer striking them with a lathi.
Following the incident, members of Hindutva groups, including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal, felicitated the police officers involved.
Ujjain Additional Superintendent of Police Guruprasad Parasar downplayed the severity of the incident, stating, “Police did not beat them up like it is being shown. Someone may have hit them once or twice,” suggesting that the media had exaggerated the situation.
According to officials, the accused were apprehended on February 16 near Jaithal village with a sports utility vehicle, a cow, and a calf. Bajrang Dal members reportedly alerted the police, who also recovered knives and other tools allegedly used for slaughtering and skinning animals.
After evading capture, Salim and Aaqib were arrested near Indore on Sunday, while a third accused remains at large. They have been booked under the 2004 state law prohibiting cow slaughter.
Ghatia police station in-charge DL Dasoriya claimed that the accused had admitted to slaughtering over 1,000 cows and oxen.
Vinod Sharma, the VHP’s Malwa region chief, confirmed that members of his organisation and the Bajrang Dal had honoured the police officers. “We usually don’t felicitate in public, but these officers did a commendable job by catching these infamous men involved in cow slaughter,” he said, defending the police’s actions.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
