Chhattisgarh BJP leader, Harish Verma sold dead cattle to butchers and traded their skin and bones, according to police. Verma was detained after death of 300 cows at his cow shelters. The revelation was made by the state’s Gau Sewa Ayog (official body for bovine welfare) in their complaint to the police.
“The Gau Sewa Ayog’s allegation was found to be true,” Durg inspector general of police, Deepanshu Kabra told HT on Saturday. “Some of the accused have given statements that dead cows were sold to butchers. Details will come out soon,” said Kabra.
Verma was suspended from BJP after his arrest on 18 August. He was associated with three cow shelters where cattle deaths happened. While he was running Shagun Goshala in Durg, his wife, Laxmi Verma was operating Phulchandra Goshala in Bemetara district and relative, M Narayanan was heading Mayuri Goshala in Bemetara too.
Each shelter was being operated with funding from the Gau Sewa Ayog. Verma is in police custody and 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.
