Situation remained tense in Koderma district of Jharkhand after a man from a minority community was assaulted on suspicion of serving ‘banned’ meat to guests at his son’s wedding reception.
The prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC (Code of Criminal Procedure) were imposed in and around the Nawadih village under Domchanch block by the police to thwart any acts of mischief.
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The attackers also ransacked several houses and damaged vehicles in the village on Wednesday.
Arrests
“We have arrested seven persons in this connection. The situation is under control now,” Koderma Superintendent of Police Shivani Tiwari said.
Adequate forces have been deployed in and around the village to maintain law and order, she said, adding the police had been keeping a tight vigil on mischief-mongers attempting to foment trouble through social media.
Asked whether banned meat was served, Tiwari said, “We have sent the hooves for forensic test and can confirm only after receiving a report.”
On Wednesday, some villagers found hooves and bones in a field behind the man’s house and alleged that he had served “banned meat” at his son’s wedding reception on Monday night, police said.
The villagers then beat him up, leaving him with serious injuries. The man was admitted to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences in Ranchi, said the police.
In 2017, a similar attack was reported in Jharkhand when a group of people lynched meat trader Alimuddin Ansari in Ramgarh town on 29 June, on the suspicion that he was carrying beef in his car.
Forensic tests later confirmed that the meat he was carrying was beef, the sale of which is banned in the state.
Eleven cow vigilantes were sentenced to life imprisonment by a Ramgarh court last month in connection with the case.
