Image courtesy: Anupriya Chatterjee | ThePrint
Not more than 500 metres from the local police station, a group of 10-15 men, claiming to be ‘gau rakshaks’, allegedly beat to death the caretaker of a Dwarka farmhouse on suspicions of alleged cow slaughter. They also brutally assaulted and injured five others, two of whom are said to be critical, reported The Times of India.
The victim has been identified as Rajaram and different media reports place his age at either 40 or 59. According to the police, though they had received a tip off about alleged cow slaughter at about 2: 10 AM, by the time they reached the spot, the ‘gau rakshaks’ had already attacked. Police also told the media that four cows were killed and the carcass was sent for forensic examination.
Two cases have been registered, one against the men for alleged cow slaughter (sections of the IPC and Section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act) and the second against unknown people for thrashing them (a murder charge, Section 302, IPC, was added later). Five people have been arrested for cow slaughter. There has been no arrest with regard to the murder or thrashing of Rajaram and five-six others.
Four men identified as Mohd Arshad, Mohd Shanu, Santosh and Rajaram were taken to RTRM Hospital for treatment of injuries reported the Indian Express. The publication also quoted excerpts from the FIR filed in the cow slaughter case. “Ct Ravinder… reached Main Jhatikra Road where a group of 15-20 men from Delhi ‘Gau Rakshak Dal’ were present. Towards the right side of the main gate, we found the heads of two-three cows and other remains,” the FIR reportedly says. This FIR also shockingly reveals how despite police presence, the ‘gau rakshaks’ involved in the assault left without giving their names! IE quotes the FIR as saying, “There were eight cows and two calves at the spot. These were taken to a safe gaushala. After this, the members of ‘Gau Rakshak Dal’ left without giving their names…”
TOI quoted Jhaso Devi, wife of the deceased, as saying, “We don’t know what happened. We take care of eight cows and sell milk to sustain ourselves. We don’t slaughter cows. I have a feeling people lured my husband for money or may have mistaken him for someone slaughtering cows.” It is noteworthy that at first on Tuesday, when the media visited the farmhouse, Devi said she was unaware of her husband’s death. She claimed after he was thrashed by vigilantes, police took him for investigation and told her he was sick. It was only when the media reached the spot that she learnt of his death. “After police took him, I didn’t see his face or his body. They came to ask for names of family members and left,” she said.
Devi is now worried that since he was the sole person who could actually milk the cows, there is a serious loss of livelihood risk. “What if other people whose cows I was fostering take them back? I have four kids — two daughters, aged six and 18, two sons, aged five and 15. We will not have any money to survive on,” a worried Devi said. The family, which is originally from Bihar, has eight cows that were present at the makeshift shed. While three belong to Devi, the remaining have been given by people to be fostered on a monthly payment basis.
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