Cow protection groups getting registered as ‘companies’
Many cow protection groups in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat and Karnataka have registered themselves as “companies” under the Companies’ Act, and are giving salaries to the vigilantes.
Gau Bachao Kranti (save cow revolution), a group registered under the Companies Act in UP, has around 8,000 full-time members, who have been given identity cards by the organisation.
Jagat Pratap, president of Gau Bachao Kranti, said: “We don’t take the law in our hands; we only ensure that traders, in the name of trading, do not transport cows for slaughter. We have saved thousands of cows which were being transported from the different parts of UP.”
Pratap said that his organisation gives salary to its members for working as cow vigilantes. “Our organisation gives Rs 5,000 to each member working as a cow protector.”
Gau Sanrakhsak Manch, another organisation with almost 6,000 full-time members, is registered in Rajasthan. Rajveer, president of the Gau Sanrakhsak Manch, said: “We won’t let any community eat up our mother. We will fight till death to stop cow slaughter in Rajasthan.”
Santosh, a member of the Gau Sanrakshak Manch, said: “I joined the group to earn a few bucks and help run my family.” In March, in Gurgaon alone, eight cases of violence by vigilante groups were reported to police.
However, Praveen, secretary of the Gau Rakshak Dal, in a telephonic conversation with The Sunday Guardian, denied his organisation’s role in any violence. “We work for the protection of cows and we have no intention to incite any violence or harass anyone.” Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti is trying to shift blame to the opposition for her government’s failure to contain street protests, which have intensified since the Srinagar bypolls on 9 April. CM Mufti defended herself on Friday, claiming that the anger on the streets of Kashmir is a result of the mishandling of the 2010 unrest by then then Omar Abdullah government.
In an oblique reference to slain Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani and dozens of teenagers who joined the militant ranks, she said the youth took to violence after their educational prospects were damaged by the then dispensation that frequently subjected them to third degree torture in police stations. She said that it was because of those pent up feelings of 2010 among the youth that they are going into violence. She claimed that she has been trying her best to stop the bloodshed in Kashmir and redress the grievances of the youth. She admitted that there are huge challenges involved, as the lowest ever turnout in two decades in Srinagar bypolls reflected the scale of people’s alienation.
CM Mehbooba’s rebuttal came after both Omar and his father Farooq Abdullah consistently blamed her for “forcing” the Kashmiri youth into extremism. National Conference veteran Farooq Abdullah even blamed the Mehbooba government for financing stone pelting on the polling day in Srinagar parliamentary constituency where he was in the fray.
Mehbooba Mufti said that all incidents of human rights violations, whether committed by stone-pelters or security forces, were unacceptable. She assured the people of Kashmir that all such incidents would be probed fairly and the culprits would be given exemplary punishment. Tourism in Kashmir is set to witness a dull season third time in a row since the cataclysmic 2014 floods. Travel agents in the valley confirmed to this newspaper that bookings for April and May are dismal, and despite a Bollywood crew shooting in the picturesque Tulip Garden, tourist footfall has not improved after being affected by last year’s summer unrest following the encounter death of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani.
According to news reports, actors Ejaz Khan, Ashutosh Rana and Smita Goudkar visited Srinagar to shoot for their movie Hai Tujhe Salam India. Some local artists were roped in for this film project; the crew will shoot in differ- Farooq Abdullah, joint candidate of National Conference and Congress, has won the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat