VHP claims to have saved 40k cows in MP

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s convenor Sohan Vishwakarma claims to have saved 40,000 cows in Madhya Pradesh since 2009 hinting at the well organised cow vigilante network in Madhya Pradesh.

On Wednesday, the lab test showed that the meat recovered from two women in Mandsaur was buffalo meat, which can be sold and transported in the state. Police officers told HT that in most cases of cow vigilantism, the cow meat turns out to be buffalo meat and traders have to face harassment from right wing groups.

Vishwakarma said VHP has a wing named ‘Bharatiya go vansh rakhshan samvardhan parishad” to curb illegal cow slaughter.

“The cases of cow slaughter are increasing. Mostly we inform police before raiding the spot and they send a team with us. At times they hush-up the case, despite intimation from us, hence we prefer acting on our own and then calling in the police,” said Vishwakarma.

He said the group never made a mistake in identifying the meat. “We don’t trust veterinary doctors. Police should send the meat to laboratories,” said Vishwakarma, who hold the post of malwa prant, who heads 26 districts of the group in western MP.

While there is no direct financial incentive for saving cows, the MP government’s scheme of funding cow shelters indirectly funds vigilantism. The state funds over 100 cow shelters mostly getting animals rescued by the vigilante groups.