11 Incidents Which Show That Cow Protection Groups Are Holding India At Ransom!

There seems to be a new wave of terrorism unleashed by the mobs of self-proclaimed Gau Rakshak (cow vigilantes) across the country. They identify the religion or caste first and look for the reason later. They kill first and count the victims later. They don't fear the law, they threaten authority at their will and remain confident to target people again.

Reuters

If the lynching of Mohammed Akhalaq in Dadri, Uttar Pradesh in 2015 has faded from our memories, the murder of Pehlu Khan in Alwar, last month will come to haunt us again.

If we could dismiss that the stripping and beating of Una Dalits for skinning a dead cow in July 2016 as a trivial incident, the man in Bihar who lost his one eye because he allegedly honked at a cow wandering in the middle of the highway is certain to stop us from descending into 'Chalta Hai' thought process.

And this incident is just the tip of the iceberg as the record suggest that in UP alone, since Modi government came to power in May 2014, and until the end of 2015, over 330 instances of communal tension over the alleged cow slaughter took place. Here are 10 incidents of cow vigilantism that stand as the blots on Indian secularism.

AFP

1. In September 2015, Mohammed Akhlaq was lynched

Bihar Tribune

They say it all started with this case, but the fact is that it was the first case that caught the attention of media. Mohammed Akhlaq, a resident of the Bisada village in UP¡¯s Dadri was lynched by a mob for suspected storing of cow meat in the freezer.

2. In October 2015, another Muslim man was beaten to death in Himachal Pradesh

AFP

Soon after Mohammed Akhlaq¡¯s case, in October 2015, another man who also happened to be the resident of UP was beaten to death by the mob in Himachal Pradesh¡¯s Nahan for suspected cow smuggling.

3. In June 2016, two Muslim women were beaten

Two Muslim women were thrashed and abused by Hindu Dal activists in Madhya Pradesh's Mandsaur district over rumours that they were carrying beef. The women were slapped and kicked by a group of men and women at the crowded railway station even as onlookers, including cops, watched.

4. In March 2016, Two men were hanged

AFP

In March 2016, two Muslim men were hanged by a group of people in Jharkhand for allegedly smuggling cows. But later, it was revealed that they were a cattle herders.

5. In July 2016, Dalits were stripped and beaten

In July 2016, local Shiv Sena members stripped four Dalit men, tied them to an SUV and publicly thrashed them in a village of Gir-Somnath district for skinning a dead cow. The victims, who are engaged in skinning in Mota Samadhiyala village near Una town, had brought dead cows.

Reuters

While they were skinning the cows, six persons in an SUV approached them and accused them off cow slaughter. The victims tried convincing them that they had brought the carcas for skinning.

6. In August 2016, they didn¡¯t even spare BJP worker as well

Reuters

In August 2016, the cow vigilantes killed a local BJP worker in Karnataka over the alleged cow smuggling. Praveen Poojary (29), was beaten to death with steel rods allegedly by activists of the Hindu Jagrana Vedike (HJV) for transporting cattle at Karjike in Udupi district.

7. In September 2016, Mohammed Ayub was murdered

In September 2016, Mohammed Ayub was beaten badly by cow vigilantes. He was beaten up by unidentified persons on S G Highway on the night of September 13 after his car met with an accident. A calf which he was allegedly carrying in the car died in the mishap. Ayub died in hospital days later.

8. In April 2017, Pehlu Khan was killed in Alwar

In April this year, Pehlu Khan, a farmer from Haryana who went to Rajasthan to buy a cattle for providing family with milk was badly thrashed in Behror by cow vigilantes. Pehlu Khan was accused of smuggling cows despite having all the document of a valid purchase of cow for milking purpose. Days later, Pehlu Khan passed away in a hospital.

9. In April 2017, a nomad family was attacked

Reuter

On April 20, the hooligans calling themselves ¡®gau rakshaks¡¯ allegedly attacked a nomad family with iron rods and sticks, leaving five of its members including a 9-year-old girl injured in J&K¡¯s Talwara area.

10. In April Again, a man was killed for honking at cow

On April 29, a driver of a pick-van is suspected to have been blinded in his left eye after he was attacked for allegedly scaring a cow by honking the horn in north Bihar¡¯s Saharsa district.

Reuter

The incident took place at Maina village, 250 km north of state capital Patna when the driver Ganesh Mandal was returning home. He allegedly honked at the cow roaming on the highway which irked her owner and he unleashed baton blows at Mandal.

11. And now in Assam

In between Assam and Talwara, self-proclaimed animal rights activists thrashed the alleged cow smugglers in heart of the national Capital as well. But horror struck Assam yesterday when the mob lynched two men for suspected cow stealing.

Reuters

Above incidents are just a few examples and don't sum up what these cow vigilantes can unleash upon people in the name of cow protection. The state which looks quite reluctant in taking action against them need to understand that there is no harm in protecting cows, but these are certainly not the people, it should bestow this responsibility with.