Seoni: Madhya Pradesh police on Sunday announced a reward of Rs 10,000 each on seven residents of Nagpur allegedly involved in slaughtering 62 cows and bulls in Seoni district on June 17, a senior officer said.
Seoni shares a border with Nagpur in Maharashtra where cow slaughtering is forbidden by law like in Madhya Pradesh.
Carcasses of cows were discovered in a river and a forested area in Seoni district, leading to the arrest of five individuals and the transfer of the collector and superintendent of police.
“Investigation suggests that slaughtering (of cows and bulls) was aimed at whipping up communal frenzy but the motive will be confirmed once we arrest the seven accused of Nagpur. We have announced a bounty of Rs 10,000 each for these seven persons,” Inspector General of Police (Jabalpur zone) Anil Singh Kushwaha told reporters in Seoni.
Israr Ansari, a resident of Mominpura area in Nagpur, had paid Rs 30,000 advance to the main accused, identified as Wahid Khan (28), against whom National Security Act (NSA) was invoked the previous day, for gathering the bovines in Seoni, the police officer said.
Kushwaha, however, didn’t elaborate on the modus operandi employed by what seems to be an inter-state nexus.
The 62 slaughtered bovines include 19 cows and 43 bulls, the IG said.
Late Saturday night, the MP government shunted out Seoni collector Kshitij Singhal and SP Rakesh Kumar Singh following the recovery of carcasses of bovines.
Additional Director General of the Criminal Investigation Department, Pawan Shrivastava, is investigating the case.
“A big incident occurred in Seoni which is a border area (with Maharashtra). A team headed by an ADG-level officer has been sent there and strict action will be taken on their recommendation,” Yadav said on Sunday.
“No crime against ‘gau mata’ will be tolerated. Every accused involved in the case would face tough action,” Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav wrote on his X handle the previous day.
Of the five persons arrested by the police, Santosh Kavreti (40) and Ramdas Uike (30) were remanded to judicial custody while Shadab Khan (27) and Wahid Khan (28) were sent to police custody for three days by a local court on Sunday.
The NSA was invoked against Shadab and Wahid, police said, adding that the fifth accused, Irfan Mohammad (57), was arrested on Saturday evening.
All the accused have been booked under the Madhya Pradesh Anti Cow Slaughtering Act, 2004, Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and Indian Penal Code sections related to provoking communal tensions.
The offence of cow slaughter attracts imprisonment of up to seven years in MP.
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