A video, purportedly showing a shepherd being roughed up allegedly by cow vigilantes in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir, went viral on social media, prompting intervention by the police which said all accused were arrested on Sunday.

“Three separate FIRs were registered at the Arnas police station, including the one related to the beating of Asgar Ahmed of Garhi village and all accused were arrested,” a police official said.

The video showed a police team rushing towards the crowd to save the victim who was lying on the ground.

He said the police took cognisance of the video shared on the Twitter showing a group of youths roughing up Ahmed in a forest area where he had reportedly gone for grazing his cattle.

“An FIR under various Sections of the IPC, including 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), was registered against the accused who were arrested,” the official said.

Earlier, the police said a serious note had been taken against communal acts in the district and assured strict action against the accused.

“The Reasi police registered three FIRs in three different incidents in the jurisdiction of the Arnas police station and arrested accused,” the police said in a statement.

In a case of bestiality, the statement said the accused, a naib-tehsildar, was arrested after a case under Section 377 IPC (unnatural offences) was registered against him at the Arnas police station.

Another accused Nasir Ahmad was arrested and booked under Section 295A IPC (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and Section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, it said.

The statement requested the general public to help the administration in maintaining peace in the area and warned rumour-mongers from spreading any “objectionable material” on social media which hurts the sentiments of any other person or persons.

Meanwhile, a prominent citizen Tariq Ahmad Bhat appealed to the people to foil the nefarious designs of the subversive elements by maintaining peace.

“There are some elements who are trying to hurt the communal harmony and brotherhood. We should remain cautious against the machinations of such elements and not fall to their propaganda,” he said in a message on social media. – PTI