Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Nearly 40 days after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted to probe the high-profile banned meat supply case linked to the BMC slaughterhouse at Jinsi, the probe is yet to reach any conclusion, raising questions over the slow pace of investigation.
The SIT headed by ACP Umesh Tiwari was formed on January 19 to conduct a detailed inquiry into the alleged supply of banned meat from the BMC slaughterhouse. However, police officials confirmed that final investigation report was yet to be submitted.
Police sources said that although the prime accused and slaughterhouse operator Aslam Qureshi aka Chamda and container driver Shoiab were taken on police remand and questioned, investigators had not obtained any concrete evidence to establish if the banned meat was supplied from the facility.
Police officials admitted that several slaughterhouse and meat-packaging workers, most of whom were outsiders, had since left the city. It is believed that these workers had crucial operational information that could have helped establish the supply network and despite repeated efforts, the SIT had so far failed to trace these individuals.
Officials said statements of all available people connected with the case, including Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) staff linked to the slaughterhouse, had been recorded.
A senior officer said that while questioning of key persons had largely been completed, interrogation of lower-level workers who returned to their native places remained pending.
ACP Umesh Tiwari said the investigation was still underway and the SIT report would be submitted soon. Most of the people connected with the case had been questioned. FSL examination of the slaughterhouse had also been conducted. The SIT report would be submitted shortly, he added.
Slow probe pace helping accused
Meanwhile, Hindu organisation leader Bhanu Hindu alleged that the investigation was being deliberately procrastinated to benefit accused Aslam Qureshi.
He claimed that no departmental action had been taken against BMC officials responsible for monitoring slaughterhouse operations despite confirmation of cow meat in the Mathura FSL report. Bhanu Hindu further alleged that associates
of the accused allegedly entered the sealed slaughterhouse and destroyed vital evidence.
The case
The BMC slaughterhouse in Jinsi was sealed on January 8 after an FSL report confirmed the presence of banned meat in packets seized from a container intercepted near the PHQ area on December 17. Following the seizure, Aslam Qureshi and driver Shoaib were arrested and sent to jail, while a veterinary doctor and eight others were suspended for alleged negligence.
