Pieces of meat suspected to be beef were found in an empty plot near an Eidgah on Barsana Road in Mathura district, sparking protests by members of some right-wing outfits, police said on Sunday.

The meat pieces were found in Govardhan area on Saturday night, they said, adding 11 accused have been arrested.

In a separate incident in the Mant area of the district, the recovery of a burnt cow carcass on the Yamuna Expressway service road on Saturday also led to protests by Hindu activists.

An FIR was registered in the Barsana Road incident under various sections of the Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act against 24 named individuals and 50 unidentified persons, police said.

“Locals alleged that it was cow meat, samples of which have been sent to a forensic laboratory for examination,” Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shlok Kumar said.

Kumar said that after receiving information about the meat pieces near the Eidgah late Saturday evening, members of the Gorakshak Dal and some Hindu organizations gathered at the site and started protests.

“We reached the spot and pacified the crowd. An FIR has been registered against 24 named individuals and 50 unknown persons. Strict action will be taken against the culprits,” the SSP said.

On the basis of CCTV footage, police have arrested 11 accused in this case. All the accused have been sent to jail, police said.

The arrested accused were identified as Saqir, Sohil, Intezaar, Ansar, Pintu, Asin, Sunny, Usman, Firoz, Farukh and Shekhar, all residents of Jain Gali, Govardhan.

Two knives, two axes, horns and animal skin kept in a sack were recovered from their possession, police said.

The accused allegedly carried out slaughter of an animal belonging to cow family in an empty plot on Saturday evening, after which people found an animal’s head and pieces of meat lying there, police said.

In the Mant area, the finding of a burnt cow carcass enraged Hindu activists.

Mant Circle Officer Gunjan Singh said that some Hindu activists protested over the incident and demanded an FIR.

According to police, locals informed them that the cow’s body had been lying there for two-three days before someone set it on fire on Saturday.

Local BJP leader Ashok Saraswat has filed a complaint on behalf of the Radharani Gauseva Trust in connection with this incident, police said.

Mant police station SHO Jasbir Singh said that the remains of the cow’s carcass were cremated. Efforts are underway to identify individuals who were present near the incident site, Singh said.