On Tuesday (10th October) Gorakshaks in Pune saved two cows from the clutches of cow smugglers who were taking the cows to a slaughterhouse in Pune. Iqbal Alam and other two smugglers were arrested in this case based on the complaint filed by Gorakshak Upendra Balkavde. In another incident in the Pune district, cow meat was seized from a car in Manchar on 9th October.
Cows saved in Pune city
Upendra Mahadev Balkawade, 32, works with the Hyundai Company in Pune. He has also been working as the Pune district president of the All India Krishi Go Seva Sangh for the last two years. Upendra Balkavde said in his complaint, “On 09/10/2023, around 09:30 pm, I received a call from my Gaurakshak colleague. He told me that two cows were being taken to Kondhwa Pune for slaughter in Motor Tempo Vehicle No. MH 12 QW 5747 from Rajaram Bridge Pune. Accordingly, my Gaurakshak colleagues Suraj Suresh Bandal, Ganesh Dattatray Sutar, Manish Mahadev Chavan and I sat in a motor car No. MH 12 OT 1400 at Dandekar Bridge and stopped on the road leading to Swargate.”
He further stated, “On 09/10/2023 at around 11:45 pm, we saw the motor tempo heading towards Saaras Bagh and immediately we followed him in our car. We warned the tempo driver to stop. But the driver did not stop his vehicle and went ahead from Savarkar Chowk, Mitra Mandal Chowk. Laxmi Narayan Chowk, and Diasplot Chowk.”
Upendra Balkavde added in his complaint, “Since the driver was not stopping his tempo, I stopped my car in front of his vehicle at Golden Bakery Diasplot Gultekdi Pune around 00:05 pm. We all got out of our car and inspected the tempo. The rear of the tempo was covered with green tarpaulin sheets. When the tarpaulin sheet was removed, we discovered two live cows, one white and one black-and-white. I called the police control room and called the police to the spot. When the police arrived, the police and I took the tempo and came to Swargate police station, Pune.”
The three arrested accused are identified as Iqbal Alam (age 22, resident of Ghorpadi village in Pune), Rahim Ismail Shaikh (age 32), and Deepak Lallan Singh Thakur (age 30). During interrogation, Rahim Shaikh said that the cows were brought from Sanjay Pawar who lives in Pandit Jawahar Lal Colony at Canal Road behind Dasbhuja Ganapati Mandir on Karve Road in Pune.
A case in this regard is registered in Swargate police station under sections 5 and 9(A) of the Maharashtra Animal Protection Act 1976, and sections 11(1)D, 11(1)E, and 11(1)I of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. The Gaurakshaks and police took the cows to a local Jain Hindu Gaushala in Pune.
A copy of this FIR is with OpIndia. OpIndia contacted Upendra Balkavde to learn more about the incident. He said, “We Gaurakshaks have an active network in and around Pune city. The accused in this case are arrested by police and will face legal consequences. We do our best using whatever capacities we have. The smugglers were taking the cows to Kondhwa. The Kondhwa area in Pune has become a hiding hub of Islamic terrorists. Recently, the NIA took action and nabbed a few such people who used to live there. Slaughterhouses are also in the same Kondhwa area.”
Upendra Balkavde added, “Sanjay Pawar mentioned in this case supplies cows to these smugglers. We have caught him in two similar cases before this incident. He is a repeat offender. Most of the cow smugglers take cows to the Mumbai area. However, in and around Pune city, our group works hard to prevent cow slaughter and save Gaumata and Dharma.”
Underlining the importance of coordinated efforts of all the Gaurakshaks, Upendra Balkavde said, “No mission is difficult when the community comes together to put a joint effort. Ours is not a very large group, but coordinated work gives effective output. In this operation, Sahil Pawar, Ganesh Sutar, Manish Chavan, Chetan Badole, Datta Pawar, Tanmay Babar, Sahil Kamble, Aniket Dalvi, Sachin Gaikwad, Suraj Bandal, Siddhesh Shigwan, and Shivam Sonawane played a crucial role. They were with me throughout the incident and took various responsibilities in this task to save the cows.”
Cow meat seized in Manchar
The incident came to light in the early hours of 9th October when beef weighing 405 kg was found in a four-wheeler that met with an accident on Pune Nashik Highway Road at Bhorwadi under Manchar police station limits. A case has been registered against the unidentified absconding driver and unidentified owner of the car.
At approximately 3:50 am on 9th October, an unknown individual, driving a Ritz car with the registration MH06AZ7781, was travelling at a high speed on the Pune-Nashik Highway. This vehicle collided with the pickup truck, bearing the license plate MH14KQ7339, which was owned by Akshay Shankar Thorat, a resident of Manchar Pimpalgaon in the Ambegaon taluka, from behind.
Partially cut organs and flesh of cattle weighing 405 kg worth Rs 81,000 were found in the car. The driver of the car escaped from the spot. A case has been registered against the driver and owner of the car under sections 279 and 427 of the Indian Penal Code, sections 184,134 (A)( B), and 177 of the Motor Vehicle Act, Sections 5, 5(c), and 9(a) of Maharashtra Animal Protection Amendment Act 1995, and section 11 of Indian Animal Protection Act.
Police Sub-Inspector Shete is conducting a further investigation into this case under the supervision of Police Inspector Balwant Mandge. It is notable that Balwant Mandge is the same police officer who upheld the peace talks and restrained people from filing any case in a recent incident of a Hindu-Muslim scuffle during the Ganpati Visarjan procession in Manchar. A day after this incident, Islamists in Manchar attacked the house of a Bajrang Dal activist Suraj Chakradhar Dharam. When the members of Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad insisted that a case should be filed in this regard, the attackers apologised to Suraj Dharam and his family members with folded hands. A detailed report of this incident can be read here.
