Jammu:
Two members of a nomadic family in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district were beaten up by a group of people who mistook them for cow smugglers.
Bovine smuggling within regions and districts in the Jammu division is banned by state government. "A Gujjar Sabir Ali along with other people including female members were shepherding some cows and calves in Reasi district late night," SSP Reasi Tahir Bhat told PTI.
Ali had segregated his animals and took with him only cows and calves while the rest of the animals including sheep and goats were sent with his other brothers, the SSP said.
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Some people suspected that bovines were being illegally smuggled into the area, he said. They intercepted the group of nomads and man-handled them, the police official added. Meanwhile some other nomadic people came in support of the family resulting in a brawl.
Police rushed to the spot and rescued them but by then two people including Ali and his daughter in law had suffered injuries. Some others received minor bruises, he added.Bovine smuggling is banned in the Reasi district and can be carried only with permission. Later people belonging to one community blocked the road in the area and held anti-Police and anti-government protests over what they claimed were increasing incidents of bovine smuggling.
"People mistook them for bovine smugglers. But they had the required certificate with them", the SSP said adding that a case has been registered and the accused persons have been identified.
However no arrests have been made yet, he added. Last month, police had foiled a bid to smuggle bovine animals into Kashmir last month and arrested two persons belonging to the Reasi district.
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