Trader attacked in Aligarh over suspicion of carrying banned animal meat; 1 held

Agra: One person has been arrested in Aligarh for allegedly assaulting a meat trader on suspicion that he was transporting meat of a prohibited animal, police said. The incident occurred on Saturday evening when Sharif Qureshi (45) was transporting meat on his motorcycle.In his complaint, Qureshi said he has been selling buffalo meat for nearly 25 years and was carrying the consignment along with valid documents when he was intercepted by a group of people and attacked with bricks and other objects.Police said the miscreants, allegedly members of a right-wing group, thrashed him, leading to a scuffle on the road. As more people gathered at the spot, panic spread in the area. Police teams from Harduaganj police station reached the site after receiving information, rescued the injured trader and dispersed the crowd. Qureshi was later taken to a nearby hospital, where his condition was stated to be stable.Based on his complaint, an FIR was registered at Harduaganj police station against seven named and 10–12 unidentified persons under BNS sections 191 (rioting), 115 (voluntarily causing hurt), 126 (wrongful restraint), 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 351 (criminal intimidation) and 324.Harduaganj SHO Kuldeep Singh said Anuj Pandit, 25, has been arrested, while another person has been taken into custody. "The condition of the complainant is stable. Further investigation is underway," he said.