Ghaziabad Mayor Stops Children, Accuses Them of Carrying Beef — Video Raises Questions
It was around 12:30 pm on Sunday, May 24, when Ghaziabad Mayor Sunita Dayal was crossing the Hindon Barrage bridge in Indirapuram. What she claims she saw — two children on a bicycle carrying a sack near the river — has since turned into one of the most polarising incidents to emerge from Uttar Pradesh this month.
Within hours, the mayor had uploaded a video to her official Facebook page. In it, two visibly frightened boys, both wearing skull caps, stand beside a bicycle. A yellow sack lies on the ground. The mayor’s voice can be heard declaring: “Isi desh ka khayenge aur yahin gandagi karenge” — They will eat the country’s food and spread filth here.
She alleged the sack contained cow meat and that the children were about to dump it into the Hindon River. Police were summoned via Dial 112. The sack was seized. The two minors, students of a local madrasa in Kanawani, were interrogated on the spot.
What the Video Shows — and What It Doesn’t
The over-two-minute video that Dayal posted does not show the children actually dumping anything into the river. It shows them already stopped, surrounded by adults, with the mayor leading the interrogation. No act of disposal is visible in the footage that Dayal herself released as proof.
Despite this, the incident triggered immediate police action. On Sunday evening, an FIR was registered at the Indirapuram police station under sections 271, 272, and 279 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) — charges related to negligent and malignant acts likely to spread infection, and fouling a public water body.
By Monday, three men associated with the madrasa’s management — identified as Zubair, Aijaz, and Shoaib, all aged between 25 and 27 — were arrested under Section 170 of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which empowers police to arrest to prevent the commission of cognisable offences.
The children told the mayor they were sent by a teacher to dispose of rotten meat that had been stored in the madrasa’s refrigerator for several days. The meat has been sent for forensic examination. Results are expected in 10 to 12 days.
“Three persons associated with a local madrassa had told these kids to dispose of the remains, so accordingly initial action was taken,” ACP Abhishek Srivastava told reporters.
Mayor’s Alleged Threat to Police
As the video circulated across social media, a separate detail drew scrutiny. In the footage, Dayal can allegedly be heard warning police officers at the scene that they would face suspension if the accused were released.
Multiple reports, including by The Wire and Siasat, noted the mayor’s warning to officers. “She demanded the children be taken into custody and threatened officers with suspension if they let them go,” one report stated.
Dayal, a former Uttar Pradesh BJP state vice-president, later told The Wire: “It was then that I saw those kids accompanied by two other people. Then we figured they (the minors) were carrying meat in a gunny bag. Kids also admitted that it was cow’s meat.”
Legal Concerns: Minor’s Faces Not Blurred
Critics and human rights groups have flagged a specific legal violation: the children’s faces were not blurred in the video Dayal posted online.
Under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, Section 74, it is a punishable offence to disclose the identity of a child in conflict with the law or a child victim. The provision applies to any form of media including print, electronic, and social media.
Neither the mayor’s Facebook post nor subsequent shares by other accounts obscured the minors’ identities. The children, both reportedly aged 14 to 15, remain identifiable in the video that continues to circulate.
Selective Outrage? The Hindon River’s Story
The incident has also raised questions about selective enforcement. A 2024 study by Down To Earth described the Hindon River as “a drain carrying domestic and industrial waste.” The river, which runs through one of Uttar Pradesh’s most industrialised belts, has long received untreated effluents from factories, residential colonies, and municipal drains.
Numerous videos in the public domain show people openly dumping garbage and waste into the Hindon. Yet no previous instance could be located of Sunita Dayal taking comparable action against those polluters, critics point out.
Within days of the incident, the mayor also stated she would ensure the madrasa was “permanently sealed.” Authorities are currently verifying whether the institution is registered with the concerned departments.
What Happens Next
The forensic report on the seized meat is the next crucial milestone. Depending on the lab’s findings, the charges against the three arrested men may be strengthened or weakened. ACP Srivastava confirmed that further legal action would depend on the report’s conclusions.
For now, the two minors are witnesses, not accused. The three madrasa officials remain in custody. And the video — with its unblurred faces, unverified allegations, and a mayor’s promise to shut down a religious school — continues to divide opinion in Ghaziabad and beyond.
Names of the minor children have been withheld in accordance with the Juvenile Justice Act. This article will be updated when the forensic report becomes available.
