A month after a ruckus broke out at a grocery shop in Northwest Delhi over the alleged sale of cow meat, the police have arrested the store’s shopkeeper after forensic tests confirmed that one of the three samples sent for examination was cow meat, The Indian Express has learnt.
Police said the shopkeeper, Chaman Kumar (44) from Nepal, was arrested last week after the report was positive. “The report stated that out of the three samples, one was cow meat while the other two were buffalo meat,” a police source said.
“Soon after receiving the report from the Delhi FSL (Forensic Science Laboratory), police registered an FIR under sections of the Animal Cruelty Act and the BNS at Model Town Police station and arrested the accused, Chaman,” the source said.
When contacted, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northwest) Bhisham Singh confirmed the development.
On May 28, a group of people had beaten up Chaman in Vijay Nagar, near Delhi University’s North Campus, accusing him of selling cow meat at his grocery shop. Police had said that a sample of the meat had been sent for forensic examination.
The complainant was a 15-year-old boy who alleged that he purchased the meat for Rs 400 per kg from the said shop.
At the time, police had said in a statement, “Upon suspicion of cow meat being sold, some members of the public manhandled the shopkeeper. He was provided medical assistance.”
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Police had added that CCTV footage from the area was being collected and reviewed to verify the sequence of events. They added that the shop had been sealed.
The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) had attempted to protest outside the Model Town Police Station against the assault but were denied permission.
Vijay Nagar is a densely populated area with closely packed buildings, most of them offering PG accommodations. The walls are splashed with graffiti of student unions like the SFI and All India Students’ Association.
