2 arrested, houses demolished for throwing suspected cow meat on temple premises in MP

The Madhya Pradesh Police arrested two people, and the local administration in Ratlam district demolished their houses after they allegedly left the parts of a bovine animal on the premises of a local temple at Jaora town, The Indian Express reported.

According to the reports, MP Police on Friday, June 14, arrested two men – identified as Mevati, 24, and Shaqir Qureshi, 19 – for allegedly throwing cow meat inside the temple premises on the intervening night of June 13 and 14.

The parts of the bovine were discovered at 3 am on Friday when a local priest, Gaurav Puri Goswami, first noticed the animal parts. He was quick to alert police.

According to Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) Manoj Kumar Singh, “CCTV footage of the incident showed bike-borne miscreants throwing body parts of a bovine animal on the temple premises”.

Subsequently, the police acted swiftly and traced the whereabouts of Mevati and Qureshi and arrested them for “hurting religious sentiments” under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). “If any other accused is involved, they will also be arrested,” Singh added.

Singh further said that “vicious” attempts were made to disrupt the peace in the area, but timely measures prevented the situation from flaring up.

Houses bulldozed

After the arrests, the local administration demolished ‘illegal’ portions of the accused’s houses, citing the need to take stern measures against those responsible for the incident.

Muslims condemn incident

However, as soon as the news came to light, local Hindu residents came out in groups to protest the incident. The Muslim community has strongly condemned the incident and urged the government to ensure that the culprits are dealt with in the strictest possible manner, regardless of their religion.

A local qazi (Islamic judge), Hafeez Bhuru, while condemning the incident said, “The incident was disgusting. The administration should not to spare the culprit, irrespective of his religion. He should be dealt with in the strictest possible manner.”

He also appealed to the locals to refrain from making any objectionable statements.

CM calls for maintenance of peace

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav also appealed to the people to maintain peace and directed the police to take strict action against those responsible for the incident.

While taking to X, Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Jitu Patwari also condemned the incident and wrote: “The incident committed by anti-social elements in Jaora (Ratlam) is condemnable! I demand a quick and thorough investigation of this extremely objectionable act. I also appeal to the state government to give harsh punishment to the culprits who spread animosity in society.”