Sribhumi tense following twin 'cow slaughter' incidents, 3 held

Silchar: Tension escalated at Nivia village in Sribhumi on Sunday after twin cases of cow slaughter, within a fortnight, were reported from the area.

A predominantly Hindu village, local residents of Nivia and people from neighbouring villages blocked roads, closed down shops and markets and took out demonstrations.

Along with deployment of police and CRPF personnel to control the situation, three suspects were arrested. The trio have been identified as Maina Miya (49), Fariz Uddin (42) and Shabir Ahmed Barabhuiya (32). However, allegedly the main accused, Akhil Hussain Barabhuiya, is absconding.

Earlier, on Saturday night, tensions flared at Rongpur village, adjacent to Nivia, after an alleged incident of cow slaughter came to light. Supposedly the incident took place at the residence of Barabhuiya in anticipation of his daughter's wedding, which was scheduled to be on Sunday.

Previously, a similar incident of cow slaughter had been reported from Magurachhara area the night before Eid-ul-Fitr, leading to tension in the area.