Cow vigilante allegedly shot at by smugglers in Nuh

Gurugram: A 38-year-old man was allegedly shot at by cattle smugglers early Saturday morning in Haryana’s Nuh, police said, adding his condition is said to be critical. The incident took place around 4.45am.

Police said the man, a cow vigilante, and six others were chasing a vehicle, suspected to be smuggling cattle, on the Delhi-Mumbai expressway near Ferozepur Jhirka, when they were attacked by the alleged smugglers.

The injured identified as Sonu Yadav alias Sonu Sarpanch, a resident of Rewari, was admitted to a multi-speciality hospital in Gurugram’s Sector 38 and is reported critical, said police. 

The suspects who were smuggling cattle from Rajasthan were being chased by the vigilantes on a tip-off, said police.

According to the police, the incident took place when members of a cow protection task force received information that some suspected cattle smugglers from Rajasthan were on their way to Nuh in a pick-up van.

Narender Bijarniya, superintendent of police, Nuh, said that the members of a cow task force tried to intercept the van, but the suspects started firing at them.

“One of them suffered one bullet injury in his stomach and the suspects fled from the spot, leaving the van. The police team chased and arrested one of the suspects. We are questioning him to get details of his associates and from where they had stolen the cattle,” he said.

Kulbhushan Bhardwaj, a member of Bajrang Dal and counsel for cow vigilantes, said that Yadav is being operated on and is reported critical. “The cases of cattle smuggling have increased in the last few years and such incidents are becoming rampant in the district. The new expressway is used by these smugglers to safely smuggle cattle,” he said.

Police said the suspects are from Rajasthan as per preliminary investigations. A case was registered under sections 5, 13 (2) and 17 of the Haryana Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan Act, 2015, and section 307 (attempt to murder) at Ferozepur Jhirka police station.