Dadri, June 2: The situation in Uttar Pradesh's Dadri reportedly remained tense days after the police arrested two men from Noorpur village for allegedly killing a stray cattle and storing its meat. Zahid (25) and Yakub (65) were arrested on May 24. The arrests were made after a group of men, including cops, stormed into Zahid and Yakub’s homes and allegedly ransacked them. Both were reportedly assaulted before taken into custody.

"Zahid had brought the meat a day ago. It must have been around 20-22 kg, I am not sure. It’s Ramzan, and he said we could use it for iftar. I don’t know if it was cow meat," Zahid's wife Malka was quoted by The Indian Express as saying. “At first, we didn’t realise they were policemen as they were in civil clothes. Then they ransacked the house, hit Zahid in the face… They took away the meat, along with our Kelvinator fridge," she added. Kin of Akhlaq, Victim of Dadri Lynching, Find Names Missing From Voters’ List.

Yakub’s wife Sameena accused Zahid of naming her husband in the case to avenge an old fight. "We don’t eat meat. We cooked chicken once, nearly two months ago, when a relative insisted. We have been breaking our fast with bhindi and tori. How can Yakub kill a cow?" she said. Shaista, Yakub’s youngest daughter, said two of his brothers were also named in the case. However, they both are in Rajasthan. Woman Allegedly Gang-Raped by Brothers-in-Law After Husband’s Death in Dadri.

"They named two of my brothers as well. How is that possible? They are away in Rajasthan. They work in a Chinese company which has CCTV cameras. Police can check those easily," Shaista said. The arrests bring back memories from nearly four years ago when Mohammad Akhlaq was lynched and his family members were beaten up in Dadri’s Bisada village following rumours that they had consumed ‘beef’ and were storing it in their house.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 02, 2019 02:24 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).