Police in Madhya Pradesh, central India, have destroyed the homes of 11 people after discovering beef in their refrigerators and cows in their backyards.
The slaughter of cows, which some Hindus revere as deities, and their offspring, as well as the consumption of their meat, is prohibited throughout most of India.
Cow slaughter in Madhya Pradesh is punishable by seven years in prison, with the accused bearing the burden of proof.
There is no legal provision to destroy the property of a person accused of cow slaughter, let alone before they have been tried.
Yet, states run by Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party in particular routinely raze homes as punishment for suspected crimes such as cow slaughter and incitement to sectarian violence.
The victims are mostly Muslim. Hindu nationalist parties have traditionally targeted the minority religious community with violence, accusing them of offending religious sensitivities by slaughtering cows.
It is unclear whether those whose homes were demolished in Madhya Pradesh are Muslims, however some media have identified them as such.
Mandla police superintendent Rajat Saklecha told journlaists that “150 cows were discovered tethered in the accused’s backyards. All 11 of the accused’s homes had refrigerators containing cow meat. Additionally, we discovered bones, cattle hide, and animal fat packed inside a chamber”
A local vet confirmed that the meat in the refrigerators was beef, Mr Saklecha said, and samples were sent to the southern city of Hyderabad for DNA analysis.
Police claimed – as they generally do in such cases – that the houses were demolished not because their owners were suspected of cow slaughter, but because they were illegally built on public land in Mandla town. They did not provide any evidence.
Although states have the authority to demolish illegal structures, Madhya Pradesh’s high court ruled earlier this year that they cannot do so without following due procedure.
