In what has turned out to be a communally sensitive case, a 38-year-old man in Gandhinagar stands accused of having killed a cow because “stray cattle has nuisance value.”
Viral Amin is charged with chasing three cows on his tractor at the ground near Maruti Flora Society. Eyewitness Jayminsinh Rana, 21, a resident of the complex, stated in his FIR with Dehgam police, that he saw the accused ramming one of the cows with the tractor, such that the animal was flown off into the air. It died upon landing on the ground.
The complaint states that Amin drove his tractor towards the three cows sitting on the ground. Two ran away, while the third one, being pregnant, could not run fast.
Amin chased the third cow and hit it with the tractor. On seeing this, Rana and his friends ran towards the cow and found that it was dead.
Rana confronted Amin on why he killed the cow. He replied that he had killed two cows earlier and said that “stray cows kill people and also damage crops, so he killed them.” According to Rana, Amin told them that his father, Ashwin Amin, is a local BJP official with police ties, thus he could get away with such an offence.
Investigator PSI V.N. Dantani said that a complaint has been filed against Amin for killing an animal, rash driving, and criminal intimidation, along with charges under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. The accused was arrested but has since been given bail.
