Beef row: Kashmiri students let off, police say it was mutton

Four Kashmiri students, who were arrested following rumours that they cooked beef in their hostel room in Rajasthan’s Chittorgarh, have been released, police said on Thursday, claiming the meat in their posession was prima facie not of the cow.

The police have also identified the man who allegedly spread the rumour on a whatsapp group and legal action has been initiated against him, they said. “The four Kashmiri students were arrested and later released by the SDM court yesterday after they furnished personal bonds of Rs 25,000 each,” Superintendent of Police, Chittorgarh, Prasanna Kumar said on Thursday. “We have also identified a local man named Gaurav who had circulated the rumour on a whatsapp group which created tension on Monday night,” he said.

The students studying at a private university were allegedly manhandled by some other students after the rumour spread but police said the meat was not found to be beef. The Kashmiri youths were also alleged to have beaten up a local journalist when a crowd had gathered in front of the Mewar University to protest alleged cooking of beef.

The students were arrested yesterday under section 151 of CrPC (Arrest to prevent commission of cognizable offences). Kumar said the meat which was brought to the university by the Kashmiri students was not beef and it became clear during the investigation.