By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Aurangabad: A week after Union Minister Menaka Gandhi raised issue of exporting of meat to foreign country and claimed that money earned through such export is going into terrorism, 5 trucks laden with meat which were meant for foreign export have been charred by a group of unknown men on Aurangabad-Nashik highway in Maharashtra.
The incidence occurred on the bridge over Deku River near Garaj village on Aurangabad-Nashik highway road in Maharashtra when a group of unknown men who were waiting for the trucks on the bridge stopped trucks, thrashed drivers & cleaners and set ablaze all the five trucks by dousing them with kerosene, petrol and diesel. The incidence occurred at about 30 KM from Aurangabad.
Trucks laden with meat charred in Aurangabad, Maharashtra [Photo Courtesy: Aurangabadtimes]
It appears to be a meticulously planned act as the group had chosen the spot in advance and had stored fuel required for burning trucks near the bridge. The group knew that trucks were being used for exporting slaughtered meat from Aurangabad and had kept a watch on its route.
Reportedly the trucks were carrying beef towards Vaijapur from a slaughter house situated at Padegaon near Aurangabad in the early morning of Saturday, when the incident occurred. The flame rising due to burning of trucks was seen from couple of kilometer distance by the people of Garaj village.
The sudden burning of trucks on highway terrorized people in the vicinity causing tension and closure of traffic for some time. Rural police Superintendent of Police Anil Kumbare rushed to the spot with his team after receiving the news and increased police presence so as to ease traffic and maintain calm in the area. He had to call in State Reserved Police (SRP) for controlling the situation.
Such incidences have increased this month in the state when people alleges trucks to be delivering cow flesh and burns them and insist police to arrest drivers. On 13th September enraged people had set fire to a truck carrying alleged cow flesh in Ahmednagar district and couple of days before an irate mob set fire to a truck, for transporting what they alleged was cow flesh, near Vinchur in Nashik district, after which a bandh was observed in Lasalgaon and Vinchur to protest against alleged slaughter of cows.
Advocate A. Wakil from Aurangabad told TwoCircles.net, “The act of burning of trucks by people on the suspicion of transport of cow flesh is totally illegal. (If people have such suspicion then) they should complain about it to police who will investigate and charge driver, cleaner or people involved in transporting of cow flesh under sections of Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act of 1976”.
“In such incidences of beating of drivers and burning of vehicles, police should first arrest people responsible for beating and burning before arresting drivers and cleaners. (Because) everyone has to follow the law and no one can overlook established legal procedures”, he added.