First arrests made in Maharashtra after beef ban

In the first case registered under the beef ban law in Maharashtra, two persons have been arrested by police in Malegoan for allegedly slaughtering calves.

A case was registered against three persons, three days ago and two of them were tracked down and arrested on Friday, police said.

The duo -- Mohammed Rashid Akhtar, 36, and Abdul Ahad Mohammed Ishak alias Hamed Lendi, 28, were arrested from Munshi Nagar and Saban Nagar localities respectively following a tip, Azad Nagar police inspector Masood Khan said. They were later produced in a local court and remanded to five-day police custody till March 31, he said.

Police had earlier this week raided a shack in Azad Nagar area, about 90 km from Nashik and seized two heads of slaughtered calves and 150 kg of beef.

The Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act, banning slaughter of bulls and bullocks, was enforced by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government on March 4.

Under the law, anyone found selling beef or possessing it can be jailed upto five years and fined Rs 10,000. Offences have been registered against the accused -- Rashid alias Pandya, Hamid alias Lendi and Asif Talathi, under the Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act, police said.

The beef ban has triggered protests from some political and cultural quarters, arguing that it amounted to encroachment on individual choices and food habits of large sections of people, especially minority communities. However, state government has stood the ground holding that during the national movement Mahatma Gandhi backed total ban on cow slaughter and even now veteran Congress leaders like Motilal Vora supported the cause.