3 arrested for cow slaughter in HP village, security tightened

Three persons have been arrested on the charge of cow slaughter in remote Ranola village of Chamba district, following which the police tightened the security arrangements fearing tension in the area.
Safi Mohammad, Isrile and Raj Bali were arrested last evening after a police case was registered against them on the complaint of one Gulam Nabi. The incident took place on Sunday, the police said today.
All the accused have been booked under Section 429 (mischief by killing or maiming cattle) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 8 of the Himachal Pradesh Prohibition of Cow Slaughter Act.

During investigations, a police team recovered blood-stained soil and wooden pieces and flesh of an animal from a spot near a slaughter house and cooked meat from the residence of one of the accused, a police official said.
Both the flesh and the meat dish have been sent to Regional State Forensic Laboratory (RSFL) in Dharamshala to ascertain whether it is cow meat or not, he said, adding that the veterinary doctors who conducted the postmortem said the "flesh pieces belong to the cow species".
"The accused are being interrogated to establish the motive and the tool used for slaughtering," the official said.

Police claimed there was no tension in the area but added that the members of one community met the local administration and expressed concern over security arrangements.
Chamba's Superintendent of Police (SP) and Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), who visited the village, said sufficient security has been put in place to ensure that no untoward incident takes place.