Praveen Pujary (File Pic)
Karnataka/Nagpur: A man who was transporting cows in a three-wheeler has died after he was attacked brutally Wednesday night.
Praveen Poojary, 29, was traveling with a friend Akshay Devadiga when they were stopped and thrashed by men, who according to police were members of of a right-wing group named the Hindu Jagrana Vedike. Praveen died of his injuries in hospital four hours after the assault. Akshay is still in the hospital.
Poojary, who sold chicken at his shop, was taking the cows to his village in Udupi district, over 400 kms from the state capital of Bengaluru. He was transporting the male calves for a man named Ramesh. Hiring out his tempo was the main source of his livelihood.
Udupi Superintendent of Police KT Balakrishna said that “since they were male calves, the attackers felt they were being taken for slaughter.”
The examples in Una Gujarat , earlier in UP and now Karnataka show how out of control the murderers who go around in the guise of ‘Cow protectors’ have become. They are not just attacking those suspected of cow slaughter but also innocent people whose trade and livelihood has anything to do with bovines. Transporting them live, or skinning them after they have died of natural causes too.
The PM’s harsh castigation doesn’t seem to have deterred such elements one bit. Point to note is that Praveen Pujary was a BJP worker!
His mother, living in his hometown in Udipi has demanded strictest action against the perpetrators.
17 people have been arrested so far.
