Uproar over attack on meat shop owner in U.P.’s Aligarh

Two people were arrested in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, on Sunday (December 21, 2025) after a meat shop owner was attacked on suspicion of transporting beef, the police said. The incident triggered uproar, with the Opposition criticising the government for poor law and order and targeted attacks on minorities.

The victim, Shareef Qureshi, was allegedly attacked while transporting meat to his shop on his motorcycle on Saturday (December 20, 2025). The victim’s family alleged that the accused tore his valid meat purchase documents and thereafter assaulted him, claiming he was carrying beef.

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“On the basis of a complaint by the victim, a first information report (FIR) was registered at the Harduaganj police station against seven named and many unidentified people. A sample of the seized meat has been sent to a laboratory for examination. Two persons were arrested,” said the Aligarh Police in a statement.

“After the State government recently sought to withdraw the case against the accused in the lynching of Mohammad Akhlaq in Dadri in 2015, communal groups have been emboldened. The Aligarh case highlights the failure of law and order in the State. Groups backed by the ruling regime are running extortion rackets under the garb of cow vigilantism. Innocent people from the Muslim community are continuously attacked for no fault of their own and an atmosphere of terror is being created against minorities through organised gangs. We demand strictest possible action against the accused,” Shahnawaz Alam, Congress national secretary, said. 

The Samajwadi Party (SP) said fringe Hindutva elements were vitiating communal harmony of society, with minority communities at the receiving end of their attacks. “They believe minorities are easy targets as government response is discriminatory,” said Ameeque Jamei, the SP spokesperson.