Case of cow vigilantism surfaces in UP's Shamli

In another case of cow vigilantism, two men were beaten up with belts and sticks allegedly by Gau Raksha Seva Dal workers on Tuesday over suspicion of being cow smugglers in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district.

According to the police, "the members of the group spotted a vehicle carrying cows in Adarsh Mandi area and stopped it. The duo on board had no proper documentation of the purchase which angered the mob."

The police have taken the two men into custody for further interrogation and a case has also been registered in this regard.

The rampant incidents of cow vigilantism in several parts of the country have become a matter of concern for the government.

On July 3, the Supreme Court strongly condemned these incidents terming them 'unacceptable'.

The three-judge Supreme Court bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra said, "Nobody can take law into their own hands. It is the obligation of the states to see these incidents are prevented."

The Apex Court, in September last year, directed all the state governments and union territories to take active steps to put a full stop to the violence in the name of cow protection and asked them to designate special officers to keep a strong watch on the 'vigilante groups'.

In July last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took note of such incidents and sent a stern message to cow vigilantes saying that killing in the name of cow is unacceptable."Killing people in the name of cow is unacceptable. Nobody has the right to take law into his or her hands," he had said.