One held over sack containing meat waste found near temple in UP's Shahjahanpur: Police

Police have arrested a man in connection with a sack containing meat waste being found near a temple in this Uttar Pradesh district, officials said on Sunday. They added that the sack fell from an e-rickshaw while it being taken for disposal.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Ashok Kumar Meena told PTI that after the sack was found near the Radha Rani temple on Friday night, Hindu outfit leaders staged a protest, following which police formed three teams to look into the matter.

Also Read | Woman, minor daughter killed as roof collapses due to rain in UP

"Police examined the CCTV footage and arrested the accused, identified as Waseem alias Bambaiya, who gets Rs 20 per sack for disposing of meat waste," he said.

"The accused told police during interrogation that he had taken three sacks from a shop and was going to Kakra to dump those. He had no idea that one of the sacks had fallen off (the e-rickshaw). As he reached Kakra, he saw two sacks and came back to find the third, but by then, protests had started, so he went home," the SP said.

He added that police found out that the sack fell from the e-rickshaw due to carelessness on the part of Waseem.

Earlier, police had registered a case against unidentified people after the sack was found near the temple in the Kacha Katora area of the city. Three teams were formed to probe the matter and the local police outpost in-charge was sent to the police lines for laxity in the discharge of duty.

Meena had said on Saturday that the sack might have fallen on the road while being taken for disposal or someone might have left it there to disturb communal harmony. "Both aspects are being probed," he had said.

Local Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Rajesh Awasthi had earlier said he got information about the incident on Friday night, after which he and his associates blocked a road.