In a horrific incident, a ‘Gau Rakshak’ named Gopal has been killed after he was shot dead by a cattle smuggling gang. The incident has occurred in a village near Palwal, Haryana.
According to the reports, Gopal, a resident of Sondhad village in Palwal District of Haryana, was killed after he was shot by a group of cattle smugglers on Monday evening. Reportedly, 35-year-old Gopal was a member of a local cattle protection group and he had involved in several cases where smuggling of stolen cattle was stopped by locals.
The incident took place on Monday when Gopal left his home in a two-wheeler to visit his fields. On his way to the fields, he was informed that a suspected vehicle carrying illegal cattle was passing along the Hodal-Nuh highway. Soon, Gopal chased down the vehicle in which stolen cattle were being illegally transported.
As Gopal picked up his phone to inform his associates, a cattle smuggler sitting in the back seat of the vehicle allegedly shot him with a gun leaving Gopal seriously injured. Reportedly, he was soon brought to Palwal civic hospital but the doctors declared him dead.
Meanwhile, the cattle smugglers have escaped from the Palwal. As soon as the news of Gopal’s death spread, the other Gau Rakshaks assembled at the hospital leading to a tense environment for a while.
SSP Jogendra said that they reached the spot as soon as they received the information. He further added that a case has been registered against the unknown attackers for killing Gopal based on the statements given by the victim’s brother Jalbir.
It is notable here that there have been several cases of violent attacks by cattle smugglers in Haryana and UP. Cattle smugglers have even been known to fire at police officials. Haryana’s Mewat region is considered the hotbed of cattle smuggling and illegal slaughter.