Five men assaulted by gau rakshaks in Alwar, 1 dead // Gau rakshaks killed a dairy farmer, not cattle smuggler
NB: This terrible tragedy is yet another example of the brutal hooliganism and injustice unleashed on a nation-wide scale by the Sangh Parivar government and its vigilantes. Completey innocent people are viciously attacked by thugs on the look-out for some pretext or other to indulge in violence. It is clear that their extended network of cadre operate with foreknowledge that they will be protected. Here too, in addition to the case against the cow-vigilantes, a case has been lodged against the victims - a well-known ploy by police to assist the accused by giving them a counter-case to bargain with. This kind of lawless behaviour has now become commonplace. In February the ABVP launched a violent attack on a seminar in Ramjas college. No doubt the ringleaders of such acts of violence will be rewarded with election tickets or other perquisites. The Sangh's so-called 'nation-building' will destroy India's social fabric and undermine the constitution and rule of law. Perhaps our judges and policemen and opinion-makers are listening to the voice of conscience. Perhaps not. DS
Two days after he was
allegedly attacked by a group of gau rakshaks for transporting cows in Alwar,
Pehlu Khan, 55, a resident of Haryana, succumbed to his injuries on Monday
night. Police said Khan and at least four others were attacked even as they
produced documents to show that they had purchased the cows. “Gau rakshaks
affiliated with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal stopped four
vehicles, near Jaguwas crossing on National Highway 8, on Saturday evening,
alleging that they were illegally transporting bovines. These vehicles were
coming from Jaipur, and were headed towards Nuh district in Haryana,” said
Ramesh Chand Sinsinwar, SHO, Behror police station.
While they attacked
the men in the vehicles, they reportedly allowed one of the drivers, Arjun, to
leave. “Five of the victims had to be hospitalised,” said Sinsinwar. “Of these,
Pehlu Khan died at a hospital in Alwar on Monday night. A post-mortem was
conducted and his body was handed over to his relatives today,” he said. While
purported videos of the incident are being circulated on social media, no
arrests have been made so far.
“We were returning
from a Saturday fair in Jaipur. I had bought two milch cows for Rs 75,000, and
I had all the valid documents with me. We were not even trying to hide the
cows, as we were taking them in a pick-up truck. At around 6 pm on Saturday,
the gau rakshaks stopped our vehicle and asked us our names. They allowed our
driver, Arjun, to leave,” said Azmat, 22, who was with Khan in the pick-up
truck.
“I told them I had all
the documents but they pulled us out of the vehicle and beat us up. They took
away Rs 35,000 from me. I later lost consciousness and woke up in a hospital at
around 1 am on Sunday,” he said. “Before he died, Pehlu
told us that they beat him up and then told him to run, saying ‘tu buddha aadmi
h, bhaag’ (you’re an old man, run away)… But they chased him and beat him up
again,” said Pehlu’s uncle, Hussain Khan.
Meanwhile, Azmat and
the three others who were injured - Irshad, Aarif and Rafiq - returned to Nuh
on Tuesday, alleging that they did not receive proper care at the Kailash
Hospital in Behror in Alwar. “Everyone at the hospital was looking down at us…
Pehlu died because he didn’t receive proper care,” alleged Azmat’s brother,
Yusuf, 35. “I reached the
hospital on Saturday night but they didn’t allow me to see my brother. I just
wanted to know if he was dead or alive. They only granted permission on Sunday
morning. We asked the district administration to shift them to another hospital
but they did not agree,” said Mohammad Arshad, 23, also Azmat’s brother.
But Shyam Sunder
Sharma, director of Kailash Hospital in Behror, denied the charges. “We gave
them the best treatment and also gave discount on the fees… Police were posted
at the hospital,” he said. “We had lodged an FIR
against the gau rakshaks under IPC Sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 323
(voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint), 147 (destruction of
property), 308 (culpable homicide) and 379 (theft). Now, after Khan’s death, we
have added Section 302 (murder) as well,” said Sinsinwar. However, the
transporters were also booked under the Rajasthan Bovine Animals (Prohibition
of Slaughter & Regulation of Temporary Migration or Export) Act, 1995, he
said. Alwar SP Rahul Prakash did not comment on the issue.
Also see
What is to be Undone
The law of killing - a brief history of Indian fascism
The emperor's masks: 'apolitical' RSS calls the shots in Modi sarkar
The Supreme Court, Gandhi and the RSS
The law of killing - a brief history of Indian fascism
The emperor's masks: 'apolitical' RSS calls the shots in Modi sarkar
The Supreme Court, Gandhi and the RSS
