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The Delhi Police have arrested a 32-year-old man who, along with his associates, had allegedly assaulted three men who were transporting buffaloes from Haryana’s Pataudi to Ghazipur in east Delhi on Saturday night.
Police said the arrested accused, Shashank Sharma, claims to be a member of the animal welfare NGO, People for Animals (PFA), though his claims are yet to be verified.
Police said that Gaurav Gupta, a PFA office-bearer who had alerted them on Saturday night about the “illegal cattle transport”, has now emerged as a suspect in the assault on Pataudi residents Rizwan (25), Kamil (25), and Ashu (28) from Mathura.
“Several teams are looking for Gupta, but he is absconding and a hunt is on to nab him,” DCP (southeast) Romil Baaniya said.
According to police, four FIRs have been registered this year on complaints received from PFA. Of these, three were registered by Gupta at Sarojini Nagar, Safdarjung Enclave and Kalkaji police stations — the last one over Saturday’s incident.
“In all these three FIRs, Gupta has mentioned his address as 14, Ashoka Road, New Delhi. He mentions his designation as honorary animal welfare officer with the Animal Welfare Board of India and an officer posted with the wildlife crime and cruelty cell of the PFA,” police said. 14, Ashoka Road is the official address of Union Minister Maneka Gandhi, who is also the PFA chairperson. When contacted, Maneka declined to comment.
On Sunday, a case under IPC sections 323 (causing hurt) and 341 (wrongful restraint) had been registered against unknown persons on the basis of a complaint filed by the driver who had been beaten up.
Baaniya said Sharma was traced through a car registration number provided by the victims. Police said he lives in Rohini and rents out vans to ferry schoolchildren. He was allegedly part of the group of 10-12 men who attacked the three men, police said. “Sharma’s car was registered in his mother’s name. She, too, works with PFA. After questioning, Sharma claimed he is a PFA member and that his mother was with him on Saturday night. We are verifying his claims,” Baaniya said, adding that Sharma was later released on bail.
The victims’ advocate, Ehtesham Hashmi, alleged police had filed an FIR after writing a “self-made complaint”. “We are going to submit a complaint to DCP Baaniya, asking him to invoke sections of robbery, attempt to murder, gathering unlawful assembly and hurting religious sentiments,” he said. Baaniya said they will add more sections if they will receive a new complaint from the victims.
PFA trustee Gauri Maulekhi said, “We don’t know about Shashank Sharma and we will take strict action if allegations are substantiated against Gaurav Gupta and his brother Saurabh Gupta.”
The Gupta brothers remained unavailable for comment on Monday. On Sunday, Gaurav had said that he had gone to the spot after a PFA volunteer contacted him, but had maintained that the three men had been beaten up by “passersby” before he and his team reached the spot.