With BJP coming to power in Uttar Pradesh, ‘Gau rakshaks’ (cow protectors) have sped up probe against smuggling of beef via illegal slaughter houses. Needless to say, the ‘anti-beef’ fever spread to rest of the country and soon assumed the title of ‘Cow vigilantism’. As the number of illegal slaughter houses is cropping up here and there in India, cow vigilantes are gradually getting active.
Just last month, Rajasthan lost Pehlu Khan—a dairy farmer from Alwar, after he succumbed to his injuries inflicted by a bunch of cow vigilantes. The deceased was carrying his livestock to the city in a truck late at night. Rajasthan, the biggest state of India, treads on the path of digitalization today. Nevertheless, hate crimes like Alwar lynching hold it back.
If CM Raje is to be believed, incidents like cow vigilantism dent the image of the government, whether centre or state. Nevertheless, these incidents are not just exclusive to Rajasthan, but the entire country. Quoting an example of Kerala, where a local engineer was murdered in the name of ‘honor killing’ for marrying a Jaipur girl, Raje informed the media about Rajasthan police’s vigilance. The police swiftly took action against the murderer who killed the innocent engineer.
Likewise, they also filed a charge sheet against offenders involved in Alwar lynching. Steps like these send a strong message across that the government won’t tolerate any crime in the name of cow vigilantism or any form of discrimination on the basis of caste, religion, community of caste.
Nevertheless, taking step against offenders and punishing them are just not enough. To prevent such incidents from compromising the safety of Rajasthan natives, the government needs to employ strict provisions, such as deploying police force for controlling cow vigilantism, rather than letting Hindu extremists take law in their hands. Moreover, they have to keep an eye on illegal slaughterhouses too, so that they don’t butcher any innocent animals.
With strict implementation of laws and vigilant action by Rajasthan police as well as the government, we can effectively evade the threat of cow vigilantism.
