GURUGRAM: A cow vigilante here was shot at by unidentified cattle smugglers, said police.
The incident took place in Sector 10 of Gurugram when the injured Bajrang Dal member identified as Mohit alias Monu involved in a high-speed chase with the cow smugglers.
Around 2 am, a team of cow protection unit spotted a pick-up van in sector 10 area and signalled the driver to stop the vehicle. “Instead of stopping the vehicle, they sped away, hitting the makeshift police barricade,” said Manish Kumar, a cow vigilante.
“We chased the vehicle for 40 minutes before they headed towards Sohna on NH 248. When we reached Bhondsi village, the smugglers threw a couple of animals in front of our car and also fired at us. One of the bullets hit Monu,” Kumar said.
“We also dialled the police control room at 100 while chasing them but it went unanswered. The vehicle was later confiscated by the Nuh Police, but the culprits had run away,” he said.
Monu, a resident of Manesar has been admitted in Medanta Hospital in Gurugram and is undergoing treatment at intensive care unit (ICU).
“We were informed that a few cow smugglers were carrying cattle in their van and some cow vigilantes followed the van and informed the police about the same. Police also followed the smugglers’ van. On the way, the smugglers started throwing the cattle from the van in order to stop the police and vigilantes,” said Rajeev Deshwal, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) (Crime), Gurugram.
“We have identified five out of six smugglers who managed to escape. Later, their van was recovered from a village,” he added.
As the news of injury to cow vigilantes spread, a large number of activists from Hindu organisations assembled at the hospital. Adequate security arrangement have been made at the hospital.
This is the second such case of violence in the past one week. Earlier this week, three smugglers who were transporting 12 cows fired at two cow vigilantes in Alwar.