Murder of Muslim ‘gau sevak’ by ‘gau rakshaks’ hurts villagers
Gauseva is something that not only comes naturally to 56-yearold Mohammed Yunus but is also the sole source of livelihood for his family.
Every month, Yunus spends around ₹50,000 to get the best quality fodder for his cattle. A ceiling fan in the cow shed at his house swirls, bringing muchneeded reprieve to the bovines.
Yunus is a worried man. His life has been in disarray for the last few days and he can’t stop pondering over the fact that he could have been killed too — all because of a cow. “I saw Pehlu Khan being beaten by a mob of gau rakshaks... I was numb with fear when I saw an unconscious Azmat (Khan) lying on the road and the crowd beating him with hockey sticks. I still can’t believe that I managed to escape death that day,” says Yunus.
A dairy farmer in Mewat’s Jaisinghpur village, Yunus went to the same cattle fair in Jaipur where Pehlu Khan had gone with his sons to purchase milch cattle.
“I escaped by turning the mini-truck onto a kutcha road and taking a different route. Fortunately, the gau rakshaks didn’t notice me else I would have been dead too,” said Yunus.
Dairy farming has been the occupation of this Muslim-dominant village for the last half-decade with over 800 out of 1,000 families engaged in the profession.
After the death of Khan, the residents are angry over the fact that a man from a village of cow lovers was accused of smuggling the animal for slaughter.
“Just because we are Muslims, it does not mean that the cow is not dear to us. Dairy farming is the main occupation in this village and other adjacent hamlets. The way we care for cows and do everything in our ability to ensure their comfort is even rare for many gaushalas (cow shelters) where cows are often reported to be dying because of lack of facilities,” said Jaibin another villager.
As dairy farmer Umar Mohammed pats a 10-day-old calf affectionately, one could sense the pain in his voice. “For ages, we have gone to the cattle fair in Jaipur because the ani mals available there are a cheaper rates. Moreover, the fair is known for the Shekhawat breed of cows, popular among dairy farmers. If a farmer is lynched because he bought a cow to increase milk produce, then what else is there left to say,” said Mohammed.
The villagers say their routine visits to Jaipur to buy cattle from the fair has now become a jour ney full of fear and uncertainty