By Rahul Noronha

In a major demolition drive carried out after months, the Mandla district administration in Madhya Pradesh has pulled down the homes of 11 people accused of cow slaughter. All the accused being members of one religious group, the action has come under question by some.

Mandla district magistrate Saloni Sidana said information was received about an illegal abattoir operating in Bhainswahi village in Nainpur tehsil in the district. A search carried out at the premises yielded bones, skin, meat and implements used in killing animals. The 11 suspects have been booked under the MP Cow Slaughter Prevention Act. One of them has been arrested while the others are on the run.

Mandla superintendent of police Rajat Saklecha told INDIA TODAY that a preliminary report by a local vet had confirmed the meat and bones to be of a cow. Samples had been sent to a laboratory in Hyderabad for a definitive result, he added.

Saklecha said police were investigating how cows were being procured for slaughtering. According to him, the accused in police custody had informed that the hides of the dead animals were sold to leather units and the meat to buyers in neighbouring districts.

The families of the accused are crying foul that no notice was served before the demolitions. “We have been living here for almost 30 years. We did not get any notice before the demolition and a lot of our household goods have been destroyed,” said the wife of one of the accused. The spouse of one of the absconding suspects rued: “We have nowhere to go and no household goods left to carry on with our lives.”

This story was originally published in indiatoday.in. Read the full story here.