MEERUT: UP Police on Tuesday arrested a 36-year-old man from Saharanpur, a ‘gau rakshak‘, for conspiring to frame a meat trader in a false cow slaughter case. The accused, Vish Singh Kamboj, allegedly took Rs 50,000 from Tipu Qureshi, a meat trader who wanted to implicate his estranged business partner, also a Muslim, police said.
Narender Sharma, SHO of Sarsawa police station, told TOI, “The accused, along with his associates, blocked a major highway in the district on Tuesday by placing bovine remains on the road, demanding police action against alleged cow slaughterers.” Sharma said police became suspicious after noticing the carcass “appeared quite old”. They then took Kamboj, the founder of right-wing outfit Vishwa Hindu Parivar, into custody after he gave contradictory statements. The SHO added, “He then confessed that he orchestrated the protest by placing the animal’s skeletons on the road at Qureshi’s behest.”
Police said Qureshi and the man he targeted were both in the meat trade, but the latter’s business was more successful. This allegedly led Qureshi to hatch the plan against him. The SHO added, “Given the sensitivity of cow slaughter cases, even courts are reluctant to grant bail. Qureshi sought to take advantage of this, intending to have his rival jailed so that his own business could thrive.”
Qureshi is currently on the run, and police have yet to reveal the name of his estranged business partner, stating that further details will be disclosed after his arrest. Saharanpur SSP Rohit Singh Sajwan said, “Kamboj is a habitual offender with seven registered cases against him, including charges under the Gunda Act and for rioting.” An FIR was registered against him on Tuesday under BNS sections for breach of peace and furnishing false information.
