– Ahmed Noor Qureshi
Jalna: In a shocking incident late Monday (October 6, 2025) night, a group of unidentified men allegedly assaulted seven persons, including a 62-year-old man, who were transporting cattle from the weekly bazar. The Tehsil Police on Tuesday registered a case against some 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 of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. The cattle were loaded into two vehicles bearing registration numbers 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 at Londewadi village in Jalna tehsil, a group of unidentified persons intercepted them, accusing the transporters of taking the cattle for slaughter. Despite the victims’ explanation that the animals were meant for agricultural purposes and that they had valid purchase documents, the attackers allegedly beat them mercilessly with sticks and logs.
Police later reached the spot, rescued the injured men, and seized the cattle.
The cattle were subsequently handed over to a nearby cow shelter in Ramnagar. However, according to the complaint, the same group of assailants allegedly followed the victims to the cow shelter and continued to assault them even in the presence of the police.
Social worker Reema Kale-Kharat later intervened and demanded action on the victim’s complaint. She alleged that instead of taking action against the attackers, the police initially detained the victims and registered a case against them under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. Following her intervention, police registered a case 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.
However, complainant Nisar Patel alleged that the assailants arrived in a Scorpio vehicle and assaulted them even at the cow shelter. “How can police register a case against unidentified persons when we clearly saw who attacked us?” he questioned. Nisar Patel alleged that the police initially refused to take his complaint, detained them for nearly 12 hours, and registered a case against the attackers only after continuous insistence by the victims and social worker Kale-Kharat. When contacted, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Anant Kulkarni said, “There was some dispute between the two parties, and we are investigating the matter.”
Meanwhile, the Federation of Maharashtra Muslims (FMM), Jalna Unit, condemned the incident and demanded that the assailants be booked. FMM convenor Safir Ahmed said that in August 2025, following the instructions of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, the Maharashtra Police had issued a circular stating that only the police have the authority to take action against illegal or unauthorised transportation of animals. The order clearly specifies that it is illegal for private individuals to stop and check vehicles carrying cattle. Ajit Pawar had also directed that cow vigilantes (gau rakshaks) be stopped from checking livestock vehicles and harassing transporters and others involved in the livestock trade. Safir alleged that despite the circular, cow vigilantes continue to take the law into their own hands.
