Drunken men slashed the abdomens of three cows with a blade after a scuffle with a crowd in Old Delhi’s Sadar Bazar on Thursday night, creating communal tension in the area.
Two of them, Ashfaq, 28, and Rashid, 20, were nabbed by a group of people and handed over to police.
A third man, however, managed to flee. Police have refused to disclose his identity as it could hamper the probe. All three were drunk, police said.
Ashfaq is a labourer while Rashid owns a dhaba in the area, said police.
“We have arrested them under section 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc) and 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) of the IPC,” said a senior police officer. The cows were sent to a veterinary hospital, and are recovering, said police.
The incident happened around 11.30 pm on Thursday when the three men were drinking on the side of the main road in Deputy Ganj.
When local residents objected to their drinking, the youths started arguing with them.
A little later, one youth slashed three cows nearby with a blade, said police.Provoke people
“They did it to show that they were unaffected by the people’s objections. They wanted to provoke them,” said a senior police officer.
Following this, there was commotion and policemen who were deployed nearby rushed in.
“Two of them were caught while one managed to flee,” said a police officer.
Residents of Deputy Ganj and Pahari Dhiraj protested against the incident and allegedly smashed the youths’ motorcycles.
A large police force was deployed in the area to control the situation.
“Several police buses filled with policemen arrived in the morning. Police officers in their Gypsies were also here keeping a tab on things,” said a local tea shop owner, who refused to be named.
By Friday afternoon, the situation returned to normal and barring a few policemen most of the deployment was removed. Local residents have also returned to normal life.
Bitterness remained. “It shouldn’t have happened. Why did they harm the cows? They hadn’t done anything,” said an elderly shop owner who didn’t reveal his name.