Tension has gripped the rural areas of Mewat in Haryana after a self-appointed cow protector was seriously injured in a firing allegedly carried out by cattle smugglers in Nuh district early Saturday morning.
According to police reports, the incident took place near Sheikhpur village when the cow protector, identified as Sonu, apparently tried to stop a pickup van carrying some cows. It is believed that the men transporting the cows opened fire on seeing Sonu, leaving him with critical injuries. He is currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital.
Police were alerted and a search operation was launched for the three men involved. They detained one person on a highway who then led them to two others allegedly part of the smuggling operation. All three men are suspected to be residents of a neighboring state. Several cows were also rescued from their vehicle.
As a precautionary measure, additional security deployment has been made in rural Nuh and adjoining Mewat region which has seen cow smuggling and vigilante violence in the past. Local villagers remain on edge following this latest incident. Police investigations are ongoing to verify full details and prevent any law and order disturbances.
