Reports of communal violence have emerged from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh after a goat had allegedly hit a 55-year-old man in Indira Vihar Colony. The man had then advised the owner to keep the goat tied up in his home following which clashes broke out between two communities. Other reports claim that clashes broke out because the goat entered the house of a neighbour. As per reports, the two communities indulged in pelting stones at each other as well.
According to reports, however, there is no mention of any goat in the FIR filed by the victims. As per the victim, a member of the accused, Raees’ family, engaged in inappropriate behaviour with the housemaid. When the victims objected, Raees his son Javed, Nazim, Shoaib, Shahid, his son Sahil, Ehsan entered their house and assaulted the family. The victim has also alleged in the report that the accused want to grab his house. The Police have registered a case under section 147, 149, 452, 354, 323 and 506 of the IPC.
Goats, contrary to their generally peaceful demeanour, have been known to be a reason for communal clashes. We had reported earlier that a village in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, was mired in clashes for 4 days after a goat belonging to a Hindu family had gone grazing in the field of a man named Ahmed. Ahmed and three other people were arrested by the Police. In an instance in Fatehpur, communal clashes had ensued after Gangaram’s goat had strayed into the fields of Nusrat Jahan following which it was badly beaten. Apart from communal violence, goat related violence has been a much more regular occurrence than one is likely to think.