A Gaurakshak lost his life and 6 others were injured when the group was attacked by cattle smugglers. The incident took place on Monday night at around 11.30 in Kinwat Tehsil’s Shivani Village located in Maharashtra’s Nanded District.

Gaurakshaks attacked in Telangana border

According to available information, the Gaurakshaks were returning from Telangana after attending a function. They spotted a vehicle at the Telangana border and stopped the vehicle out of suspicion. An argument ensued between the Gaurakshaks and cattle smugglers. Soon the argument took a violent turn and led to a physical fight between the two groups.

In their statement, the Gaurakshaks alleged that 10 to 12 or 15 people were present in the vehicle who beat them up. The group of suspected cattle smugglers attacked them with sticks and sharp weapons. In the fight, six Gaurakshaks were injured and one of them died. The deceased has been identified as Shekhar Rapeli. The attackers reportedly fled after the attack. The injured were given treatment at a nearby hospital. The victims further said that the vehicle belonged to Telangana.

Police informed the media that they are checking CCTV footage to identify the attackers and where they were headed. They added that they have gathered information from the victims and are investigating the matter. The Superintendent of Police (SP) Srikrishna Kokate confirmed that a case has been registered against the accused.

A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered at Islapur Police Station. He also said that the accused have been booked for murder and a search operation is going on to locate them. Furthermore, he promised that appropriate legal action would be taken and the accused will be brought to justice.

In the meanwhile, Gaurakshaks have called for strict action against the accused. Several organisations in Nanded had initially given a bandh call for Wednesday which was later suspended after police assured them of strict action. The police have requested time to nab the culprits.

Attack on Gaurakshaks

Gaurakshaks have been repeatedly targeted by cow smugglers and at times even the police across Bharat. In February it was reported that Nanded police had allowed eight cattle smugglers to escape and had instead arrested and beaten up Gaurakshaks. That incident was also reported from Nanded’s Islapur and subsequently, Islapur Police’s API (Assistant Police Inspector) Raghunath Shewale was suspended after a video showing him brutally beating up many youths who were stopping cow smugglers went viral on social media.

Last April, Mewati cow smugglers mercilessly threw cows from a moving truck to block pursuing Gurugram Police & Gaurakshaks. A pick-up truck carrying stolen cows was chased for around 22 kilometres. Shocking video footage (archive link) emerged showing the criminals throwing helpless cows – a kind, loving animal considered sacred by Hindus – from their high-speed truck onto the road to obstruct and crash the police vehicles hot in pursuit.

The deliberate targeting of Monu Manesar aka Mohit Yadav highlights the risk taken by Gaurakshaks to protect Gaumata.