- The activists alleged cows were illegally transported for slaughter in Hukkeri taluk
- The cow transporter denied allegations and claimed activists tried to extort money
- Villagers attacked the activists after they created a ruckus at the house of the man who transported the cows
Activists of the Hindu group Sri Rama Sene were tied to a tree and thrashed by locals in Karnataka's Belagavi for stopping transportation of cattle, members of the group said.
Visuals of the incident showed the activists tied to a tree and locals hitting them with sticks.
The activists on Friday rescued some cows which they alleged were transported illegally for slaughter in Belagavi's Hukkeri taluk.
They took the man who was transporting the cows to a police station, and told the police that the cows were headed to a slaughterhouse.
The driver who was carrying the cows refuted the allegation. He said the cows were used for dairy and the Sri Rama Sena activists tried to extort money from him by making false allegations.
The cows were later sent to a shelter in Ingali village.
On Saturday evening, a man identified as Bapusa Multhani reached the gaushala (cow shelter) and got them released. On hearing about this, the activists rushed to the gaushala and followed Mr Multhani to his house.
They entered his house and created a ruckus over transporting the cows. This led to villagers getting agitated, and they eventually caught hold of the activists.
A group of villagers took them to a tree, tied them there and thrashed them with sticks.
The police said that after they came to know about the incident, they told the activists to file a formal complaint, but they refused.
After the video went viral, the police filed a first information report (FIR) on their own (suo moto).
