Muslim man whose shop was vandalised in Himachal didn’t sacrifice cow: Police

A textile shop owned by a Muslim person was vandalised by a Hindu mob in Himachal Pradesh’s Nahan over allegations of cow slaughter. However, days after the incident, a police investigation revealed that the animal in question was a buffalo whose slaughter is legally permitted in the state.

The Muslim man, identified as Javed, has put pictures of animal sacrifice as WhatsApp status on Bakrid. Subsequently, the Hindutva groups, including VHP and the Traders Association started agitation, accusing him of slaughtering a cow.

The other locals also joined the Hindutva outfit members and began looting and vandalizing the shop purportedly in a police presence.

Police statement

Addressing the media, a senior police officer stated that the police launched an investigation into the incident and found that the animal in question was not a cow, but a buffalo.

“The person named Javed is a native of Jalalabad (Uttar Pradesh), who was working in Nahan town. Some of the photographs of him performing animal sacrifice went viral on social media which prompted swami (a Hindutva leader) to give an ultimatum to the police,” said the police officer.

During an investigation, police discovered the animal in the case was not a cow but an animal which is permitted for the sacrifice (buffalo). However, the photographs which were circulated on social media were offensive and hence, an FIR has been registered against him for hurting the religious sentiments under the relevant sections. Local police have been instructed to take action against him,” the officer added.