Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Three civic body employees were injured and some official vehicles were damaged as a group of around 100 people led by a saffron outfit attacked Indore Municipal Corporation’s team, which went to remove illegal enclosures located in Satyadev Nagar and Dutt Nagar areas and shift cows from there to Hatod Gaushala on Wednesday morning.

The injured employees were admitted to a private hospital. "As part of IMC’s drive against illegal encroachment and illegal enclosures, actions were taken against two illegal enclosures on Wednesday. Cows located there were being taken to our gaushala in Hatod.

In the meantime, around 100 people stopped our vehicles and attacked our team and vandalised the vehicles," said municipal commissioner Shivam Verma. Three employees were injured in the incident. Verma went to the hospital and met the injured employees. “I have spoken to the doctor and all of them are fine as of now. Police have registered an FIR against unidentified persons. Law will take its own course," he added.

Narrating the incident, deputy municipal commissioner Lata Agrawal said that IMC team had reached Satyadev Nagar and Dutt Nagar around 6 am and demolished illegal cow shelters. “When our teams started taking cows from there to Hotad gaushala, roughly 100 people claiming to be from Bajrang Dal attacked removal gang,” she said.

Around 10 police personnel were escorting the removal gang but they could do little to ensure safety of employees. Vishwa Hindu Parishad office-bearer Pappu Gochale said that the guidelines stipulate for transporting seven cows in one vehicle whereas IMC employees were brutally beating and stashing 14 to 15 cattle in a single vehicle. Bajrang Dal activists asked the IMC employees to follow the guidelines to which they used derogatory language against the former which resulted in a clash, he said. Agrawal rubbished the claims stating that the IMC follow the guidelines.

“We shifted around 75 cows from the illegal enclosures. We take good care of cows at our Hatod Gaushala,” she said. Verma emphasised that Indore Municipal Corporation worked according to the instruction of the Chief Minister. Since those were illegal enclosures, action was taken against them. Besides, residents were constantly complaining that these fences were being built on the drain, which causes nuisance and also proper care of cows should be observed. “When there is a proper gaushala, they should be kept there. Proper arrangements are being maintained in Hatod Gaushala which is owned by the IMC, the commissioner said.

Annapurna police books many including three named accused

Annapurna police registered a case against three men and their accomplices under section 115 (2), 296, 351 (2), 132, 110, 191 (2), 191 (3), 190 of BNS and section 3 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act 1984 late on Wednesday.

The complainant IMC employee Kunal Dhanora lodged a complaint that he along with other IMC officials had reached Dutt Nagar near Reti Mandi to take cows from a shelter to the Gaushala of IMC on Depalpur Road when some men stopped them and climbed atop the vehicle and tried to take cows out of vehicles around 6 am.

The accused were saying that they are from a Hindu organisation. When the IMC officials stopped them from opening the vehicle's gate, they started misbehaving and later thrashed Kunal with sticks. The accused also thrashed other IMC employees named Ritesh Verma and Rohit Lot with sticks. They also damaged mini trucks and four IMC vehicles. The video of the incident was also given to the police.

The accused have been identified as Vijay Kalkhor, a resident of Marimata Square, Sanjay Mahajan of Mahadev Nagar, Tej Singh Rathore and their other accomplices. The police are trying to identify other accused on the basis of the videos. Also, a team was constituted for the arrest of the accused.