The organizations had called for a shutdown of the town in protest of the alleged discovery of eight carcasses in Kolane village and various parts of the city. The police tried to disperse the mob amidst fears that riots may erupt and lead to communal violence during Friday prayers for Muslims.
A senior police official said that the situation was tense but under control. The protesters turned violent while returning from the rally, with a large majority of them pelting stones and damaging shops and vehicles, while also targeting police. Officers arrested three protestors.
Members of the Shiv Sena, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Bajrang Dal and Cow Defense Committee walked from the Hindu Gymkhana to the sub-divisional magistrate’s (SDM) office.
Local leaders of the parties delivered speeches near the SDM office and BJP Member of Parliament Pratap Sonawane later handed over a memorandum to the SDM demanding the immediate arrests of the culprits.
The issue also raged in both the Maharashtra Assembly and Maharashtra Legislative Council, with BJP-Sena forcing an adjournment of the House. The Opposition expressed outrage over the slaughter.
The BJP leader Eknath Khadse, who is also the leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, claimed that one of its women presidents from Malegaon, Anusaya Pawar, died of shock after seeing the dead animals.
Khadse alleged that the killing of the cows in different areas of the communally sensitive city in Nashik district was a serious issue and alleged it was a deliberate act to hurt Hindu sentiments.
Sena legislator Subash Desai said that those responsible for the cow slaughter should be immediately arrested and alleged that the government had shown laxness in handling the issue. He also accused the government of dithering over passing a bill banning the slaughter of cows.
The Assembly was adjourned six times and no business was conducted, with acting Speaker Jeetendra Awhad eventually forced to declare the entire day a whitewash.
Responding to the Opposition, home minister Raosaheb Ramchandra Patil said that three out of the eight cow carcasses were found and that a post-mortem had been ordered.
He also informed the Assembly that two teams from Nashik police had been formed to investigate and track down the culprits.
