Two Men Killed For Alleged Theft Of Cows, Another Blinded In One Eye For Honking At A Cow

A week after members of three nomadic families, including two women and a 9-year old girl, were attacked in Jammu and Kashmir, and two cattle traders and a truck driver were beaten up in Delhi, two more cases of mob violence has come to light.

Two men in Assam lynched to death

Hanifa, 23, and Riazuddin Ali, 24 were chased for about 1.5 km and continuously thrashed with sticks in Nagaon district of Assam on Sunday.

The mob suspected the men, who hailed from village Naromari Jamtola, to be cattle thieves who were trying to steal two cows from the village Kasomari, about 2 km from Naromari. They were attacked after some villagers raised an alarm, alleging that they had chased away two cows from the grazing ground in the village.

“Villagers came out in large numbers, chased the two and assaulted them. While the police managed to rescue the two, they had serious injuries and they later died at the Jajari primary health centre,” said SP Upadhyaya as reported by The Indian Express.

A case of murder has been registered against unknown persons as the police is trying to find supporting evidence to ascertain the identity of the attackers.

The bodies of the victims have been handed over to their families after conducting a post-mortem examination and other formalities.

The slaughter of cows is banned in Assam except on issuance of ‘fit for slaughter certificate’ at designated places under the Assam Cattle Preservation Act. As per the Act, cows of any age can be slaughtered in the state on the occasion of Id-ul-Zuha.
Two Men Killed For Alleged Theft Of Cows, And Another Blinded In One Eye For Honking At A Cow

Van driver in Bihar attacked for honking at a cow

Another appalling incident of cow vigilantism has suspected to have blinded a pick-up van truck driver in his left eye after he was attacked by Gau Rakhshaks for “scaring” the cow by honking at it.

The incident took place on Thursday evening in Bihar at Maina village in Sonbarsa Raj police station area, 250 km north of state capital Patna.

The driver, Ganesh Mandal, 30, who was returning home at Bochahi village in neighbouring Bhagalpur district from Saharsa, saw a cow roaming on national highway-107. He honked the horn so that the cow would get out of his way. However, as the bovine panicked and ran away, its owner, identified by the police as Ram Dular Yadav, attacked Mandal with a baton.

He was rushed to a nearby primary health centre (PHP) as he felt unconscious after being hit on his left eye. Mandal complained of no vision in his eye when he regained consciousness. As he was profusely bleeding in his left eye, the PHP doctor referred him to Bhagalpur for treatment at the medical college hospital there.

Ram Dular Yadav, however, denied the charge that his cow was roaming on the highway, and claimed that he was milking his cow when Madal scared her by honking.

The Logical Indian take

Last month, a mob brutally beat up a Muslim man to death who was transporting cows in Alwar.

The state Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria defended the Gau Rakshaks by saying that the blame lies on both sides as the man was allegedly smuggling cows – a practice which is banned in Rajasthan.

Despite falseness in the MP’s statement as the man had produced papers showing that he owned the cows, citizens should not be given the leeway to take the law in their own hands – No matter what.

Kataria’s views were echoed by the Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thawar Chand Gehlot who termed Gau Rakshak groups as “social organisations”, adding that their activities are aimed at eliminating social evils.

When ministers, especially those who have formed the current government, justify the actions of an illegal mob, it incites a deep rooted hatred in the mind of the common man, causing him to act unreasonably with impunity.

Calling a group of goons who kill in the name of religion a “social organisation formed for a cause” reinforces a perception in the minds of these people that their acts are in accordance to the law because the government supports them.

The Logical Indian urges the Centre to spread awareness about the evils of cow vigilantism and strictly punish those who assault and kill. If immediate action against such violence is not taken, the authority of the law will be further diminished.