Mandsaur: Police in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday arrested four men following protests over the attack on two women who were carrying meat which was mistaken for beef.
The women were slapped, kicked and abused by the activists on Tuesday after police detained them on a tip-off that they were carrying beef.
While the women accused that they were attacked by right-wing activists, the BJP-led government maintained that none of the accused are associated with either the Vishwa Hindu Parishad or the Bajrang Dal.
The victims also alleged that Bajrang Dal activists were threatening them to withdraw the case.
The government also said that the women have a criminal record of smuggling meat. "There are cases already pending against these women (victims) for transporting and trading meat. They have been in this business since a long time. We will take action against this nexus," MP Home Minister Bhupendra Singh said.
The two women were attacked after police detained them on suspicion of carrying beef. But after lab tests showed it was buffalo meat, police dropped charges and the women were given bail by a local court.
The four men have been booked under sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of IPC.
The incident comes two weeks after Dalit youths in Gujarat by cow vigilantes for skinning a dead cow, drawing outrage and triggering a slugfest between BJP and its rivals.
The issue was raised in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday by the BSP and the Congress who alleged attacks by cow vigilantes on Dalits and Muslims were on the rise.
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