Protesters block railway tracks in Punjab, demand ban on cow slaughter

Activists of Hindu right wing outfits today held a protest against cow slaughter on railway tracks here, delaying the Amritsar-Mumbai Express by over an hour. The protesters, including members of Shiv Sena Punjab, were unhappy over cases of cow slaughter in some parts of Punjab, particularly Malerkotla. They sang bhajans and raised slogans against the Punjab government.

It was only after Phagwara SP Gursevak Singh Brar intervened with the protesters that they agreed to lift the dharna and allowed the train to proceed. Led by Sena state vice president Rajesh Palta, the protesters demanded a ban on cow slaughter and the closure of abattoirs. They also called for the arrest of all the culprits behind a recent cow slaughter incident in Malerkotla.

Carcasses of some cows were found in Malerkotla on Sept. 10 by locals leading to protests in the area, said Sangrur SSP, Mandeep Singh Sidhu.