7 Injured As Mob Attacks Cattle Transporters In Jalna

Jalna: Late on Monday night, a group of unidentified men allegedly assaulted seven people, including a 62-year-old man, who were transporting cattle from a weekly bazaar in Jalna district. Police said a case has been registered against 10 to 20 unidentified persons in connection with the attack.

According to police sources, the 62-year-old complainant stated that his employer, trader Padam Rajput, a resident of Borgaon Wadi in Sillod tehsil of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, had purchased 21 bulls from the weekly market at Wadod Bazaar in Phulambri tehsil. The cattle were loaded into two vehicles (MH-20 EL 7887 and KA 51 DA 4363) and were being transported to Nalegaon in Chakur tehsil of Latur district.

When the vehicles reached Londewadi village in Jalna tehsil, a mob intercepted them, accusing the transporters of taking the cattle for slaughter. Despite the victims’ explanation that the animals were purchased for agricultural use and that they had valid documents, the attackers allegedly beat them with sticks and logs.

Police later reached the spot, rescued the injured men, and seized the cattle. The animals were handed over to a cow shelter in Ramnagar. However, according to the complaint, the same group of assailants followed the victims to the shelter and continued to assault them, even in the presence of police officers.

Social worker Reema Kale-Kharat intervened and demanded that the police register the victims’ complaint. She alleged that instead of acting against the attackers, police initially detained the victims and filed a case against them under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. Following her intervention, the police registered an FIR against the unidentified assailants.

The injured have been identified as Nisar Patel, Asif Shaikh, Riyaz Qureshi, Sajid Pasha, Asif Sadiq, Javed Qureshi, and Sayyed Parvez. All seven sustained injuries to their heads and other parts of their bodies.

Complainant Nisar Patel alleged that the attackers arrived in a Scorpio vehicle and assaulted them again at the cow shelter. “How can police register a case against unidentified persons when we clearly saw who attacked us?” he questioned. Patel further claimed that police initially refused to register his complaint, detained the victims for nearly 12 hours, and acted only after persistent efforts by Kale-Kharat.

When contacted, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Anant Kulkarni denied that the assault took place in the presence of the police. “There was some dispute between the two parties, and we are investigating the matter,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Federation of Maharashtra Muslims (FMM) Jalna unit condemned the incident and demanded that the culprits be booked. FMM convenor Safiruddin reminded that in August 2025, following directives from Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, the Maharashtra Police had issued a circular stating that only the police have the authority to act against illegal cattle transportation. The circular prohibits private individuals from stopping or checking livestock vehicles.

Safiruddin alleged that despite these orders, cow vigilantes continue to take the law into their own hands and harass those involved in the livestock trade.