Jammu: A protest rally was held in Reasi today demanding the release of 11 people who had been arrested for attacking a nomadic family for allegedly smuggling cows.
They also sat on a dharna in front of a police station and raised slogans against the police and the government.
“Local people held protests in front of the police station. We told them those arrested could not be released and persuaded them to leave,” SSP Reasi Tahir Bhat told PTI.
On April 21, 60-year-old Sabir Ali was beaten up by a mob of 100-150 people near his tin hut. A video telecast by a private news channel showed his family begging for mercy while the police, heavily outnumbered, could do little to disperse the mob.
The channel, however, said it could not verify the veracity of the video.
Two members of a nomadic family were allegedly beaten up by a group of people for allegedly smuggling cows in Reasi district.
Bovine smuggling within regions and districts in the Jammudivision is banned by the state government.
Eleven people were arrested for thrashing two members ofthe nomadic family while they were allegedly transporting bovines withoutpermission on Thursday evening, the SSP said.
Four members of the family have also been booked for allegedlytransporting cattle from Reasi to Inshan in Kishtwar district withouttaking permission from the Deputy Commissioner, Reasi.
Those arrested were aged between 18 to 50 years and none of them had a criminal past.
IGP, Jammu zone, SD Singh Jamwal had yesterday said that people who had migrated to the upper reaches of Jammu region due to threat of militants in the mid-1990s were involved in the incident.
With inputs from PTI