BJP leader a cow-seller: Cops
Bhopal: Chhattisgarh BJP leader Harish Verma, who was arrested last week in connection with the death of more than 300 cows in his shelter in Chhattisgarh’s Durg district due to alleged starvation, was selling skin and bones of dead cows, the police said on Saturday.
A senior police officer in Durg district also told to this newspaper that the allegations that the accused BJP leader was starving cows to death and trading in bones and skin of dead cows to butchers were under investigation.
“We have received allegations that cows in the “Sagun Goshala”, owned by the BJP leader, were deliberately starved to death to sell their bodies to traders,” the police officer said.
The accused, who is also vice-president of Jamul civic body in Durg district, was running three cow shelters in Chhattisgarh under names of his close relatives, sources said.
More than 300 cows were reported to have died in these three “goshalas” either due to starvation or lack of medicines.
The BJP leader who was arrested on August 18 was suspended from the party following the shocking revelations.
The “Gau Sewa Ayog”, a bovine welfare body, has so far sanctioned '1.65 crore to the three cow shelters run by the BJP leader.
The Gau Sewa Ayog has alleged that the money was not used in the cow shelters.
Mr Verma, who is in police custody, has been charged under sections 4 and 6 of Chhattisgarh Agricultural Cattle Preservation Act -2004, Section 11 of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960 and Section 409 of Indian Penal Code.
The BJP leader came under the scanner after nearly 200 cows died this month at Shagun Goshala cow shelter in Rajpur village.