Satna:

A video of several cows being thrown into a swollen river in Satna district of Madhya Pradesh by a group of persons has gone viral on social media, prompting the police to register a case against four men. As per the preliminary reports, 15 to 20 cows have died in the incident that occurred on Tuesday under the Nagod police station limits, but the information is yet to be verified, police said on Wednesday.

“A video showing cows being thrown by some people into the Satna river under a railway bridge near Bamhor surfaced on Tuesday evening. Taking cognisance of the video, a police team was sent to the spot to collect information, following which a case was registered,” Nagod police station in-charge Ashok Pandey said.

Four persons, identified as Beta Bagri, Ravi Bagri, Rampal Choudhary and Rajlu Choudhary, have been booked under relevant sections of the Madhya Pradesh Gauvansh Vadh Pratishedh Adhiniyam, the law that prevents the killing of cows in the state, and also under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), he said.

The incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon, he added.

“As per the initial information, there were around 50 cows and 15 to 20 of them died. A rescue operation is underway,” he said.

The exact number of cows thrown into the river and their death count will be known after an investigation, Mr Pandey added.

Further investigation and a manhunt for the accused is underway, the police said.

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