Accused ‘Gaushala’ owner thrashed

Bhopal: A “Gaushala” owner, who is also a local BJP leader, in whose shelter at least 200 cows were reported to have died of starvation, was on Saturday assaulted by Congress workers while he was being produced before the Durg district court in Chhattisgarh.

The irate Congress workers first blackened the “Gausala” owner, Harish Verma’s, face with ink and later thrashed him while he was being taken to the local court in the district headquarters town of Durg by the officials, sources said.

Later, policemen escorting him chased away the Congressmen. He was later sent to judicial custody till September 1 by the district court.

In a related development, the Chhattisgarh government on Saturday placed nine officers of veterinary department, including two deputy directors of the department, in connection with the incident.

A preliminary investigation by the police has revealed that the BJP leader, who is also the vice-president of Jamul Nagar Nigam, was allegedly running three cow shelters in the region in different names to grab government grants.