New Delhi: The Delhi police has arrested one of the attackers on Monday in connection with the alleged assault of three persons transporting buffaloes in a truck by members of an animal rights group in Southeast Delhi’s Kalkaji area on Saturday night.
Romil Baaniya, deputy commissioner of police (southeast), said that they arrested Shashank Sharma, 32, a resident of Rohini. He is into transport business and owns some private vans that he rents out to ferry schoolchildren. Acting on the FIR registered against the unknown persons who attacked the three men, Rizwan, Ashu and Kamil, on Saturday night, the police officer said, “Sharma was arrested and later released on bail as the sections of IPC under which the case was registered were all bailable.”.During the interrogation, Mr Baaniya said that Sharma claimed to be a member of the People For Animals (PFA), an NGO founded and chaired by Union minister Maneka Gandhi. However, the PFA has denied any association with the incident.
“We are verifying the claims of the arrested attacker. If he is associated with any NGO working for the rights of animal, we will approach the PFA and enquire about him,” Mr Baaniya said.
The DCP said that they have identified some more animal right activists who were present at the incident spot. Some of them have been identified as Sharma’s mother, Vandana Sharma, and his associates, Gaurav Gupta, Saurabh Gupta and Mohit.
Investigators said they have asked the identified persons to join the probe and establish their roles during the incident.
Ms Vandana Sharma is a nurse at a private hospital in Central Delhi, police said.
The police said that Sharma refuted the allegations that he assaulted the three cattle traders, though he admitted that he and his associates had intercepted and blocked the truck carrying buffaloes in a cruel manner.
Rizwan, Ashu and Kamil were arrested and later bailed out in a separate case in which they were charged with inhumane transportation of the cattle. The FIR was registered against them on the complaint of Gaurav Gupta, who too claimed to be an office bearer of the PFA.
