Ahmedabad/New Delhi: “Houses made of cow dung are not affected by atomic radiation. Use of gaumutra (cow urine) is a cure for many incurable diseases.” These are utterances by a local court in Gujarat, apparently to substantiate the life sentence it handed out to a man for “llegally transporting cow and its progeny for the purpose of slaughter.”

Notably, scientists have decried claims of cow dung benefits with regard to its anti-radiation properties.

A sessions court at Vyara in Tapi has held Mohammad Ameen, 22, a resident of Malegaon in Maharashtra’s Nashik district, guilty of violating the Gujarat Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act, 2017, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, the Gujarat Control of Animal Transport Order, 1975 and the Gujarat Essential Commodities and Animal Control Act, 2015 as well as the Central Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Act, 2015.

In addition to separate smaller sentences and fines that will run concurrently, he has been sentenced to “rigorous punishment to life and a fine of Rs 5 lakh” for violating Sections 5, 6 and 7 of the Gujarat Animal Preservation Act, 1954 read with Gujarat Animal Preservation Act, 2011 and sections 6 (a)(1) and 8 (2) of the Gujarat Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act, 2017.

“If he fails to pay the fine, he will have to undergo rigorous punishment of five more years,” ordered Principal District and Sessions Judge Samir Vinodchandra Vyas.

‘COW IS A LIVING PLANET’

Continuing to heap praise on the cattle, the judge said in Gujarati language, which loosely translates as: “Cow is not only an animal, but a mother. No one is as humble as a cow. A cow is the living planet of 68 crore holy places and three crore gods. The whole universe is indebted with the multiple utilities of the cow which are beyond description…. The day there is no cow slaughter, all problems of the earth will be solved and there will be well being everywhere.”

He said in the judgment that lot of lip service is paid for cow protection, but its illegal transportation and slaughter continue unabated. “It’s a matter of disgrace for a civilised society,” reads the verdict (a copy of which has been seen by this reporter).

The court stressed the need to contemplate on the “economic, social and scientific” apart from the religious and spiritual aspects of cow protection as well as slaughter.

“Mechanised abattoirs have come up, and holy cow and its progeny are being slaughtered everyday. As a result, the bovines are facing constant threat to their lives. …Seventy-five percent of the livestock has been lost. There will be a time when people will not be able to draw its sketch. The widespread slaughter of the divine animal has caused several problems that exist on earth. It is resulting in the increase in irascibility and loose temper. Therefore, the heinous act cow slaughter must be discouraged,” the court noted.

Discussing the religious importance of the animal, the judge noted Tridevis (a trinity of supreme divinity in Hinduism) are not separate from cows. The three goddess (Lakshmi, Saraswati and Parvati/Kali), notes the judgment, have emerged from Adi Gau Surabhi (the cow). The (Hindu) religion, it said, has manifested in the form of Neel Vrushabh — a bull that was born to a cow.

The cow — according to the court — is the mother of ‘Rudra’ (a Rigvedic deity associated with Shiva), daughter of ‘Vasu’ (a group of deities in Hinduism associated with fire and light) sister of ‘Aditi Putras’ (the sons of Aditi — the personification of the sprawling infinite and vast cosmos) and a treasure of ‘Dhruv Roop Amrit’ (an ancient formula of pure ingredients that provide intense nourishment to the skin).

“Cow and bull have special importance in the agricultural farming. And the foodgrains produced from natural farming, wherein cow dung is used a fertiliser, protects the human kind from various diseases,” the judge noted, explaining the material and religious importance of the cattle.

Several shlokas (verses) of Vedas have been quoted in the judgment to explain the religious and material importance of the bovine.

The judge said he is pronouncing the verdict keeping the importance of cow and merits of the case in mind.

THE CASE

As regards the case, for which the bovine benefits were cited, the prosecution said a truck, carrying 16 cows and bullocks, was spotted at a trisection between Nava (Tapi) and Ashrava (Banas Kantha) villages on July 18, 2020 at around 5:30 a.m by a police party of the Nijhar police station.

As per the oral submission of Head Constable Bipinbhai Rustambhai Chaudhari, he was night duty from 11:05 p.m on July 17 till 6 in the morning on July 18. He was accompanied by two home guards (Narendrabhai Rajeshbhai and Jigneshbhai Ravindrabhai) and driver his vehicle Dineshbhai Gangaram.

At around 3:45 a.m, while checking vehicles at the trisection, they stopped a truck. Suspecting the driver’s replies to his queries, Head Constable Chaudhari along with his subordinates went to the rear side of the vehicle to inspect.

When the tarpaulin cover of the truck was removed, they found the vehicle packed with bullocks and cows — which were tied with a short rope.

Caught “red-handed”, the truck driver, the prosecution said, taking advantage of the darkness, managed to escape. The vehicle was seized and brought to the police station. Independent and respectable witnesses and those involved in cattle rearing were called, and the truck was unloaded in their presence, it added.

Of the 12 cows and four bullocks loaded in the truck, the prosecution alleged, one bovine and one bullock had died.

“There was no cattle fodder and water in the truck, which also did not have a mandatory veterinary first aid kit. There was no soil on the floor of the truck to prevent the cattle from injuries. A veterinary officer associated with the Nijhar Veterinary Dispensary was called in for medical examination of the animals. The dead cow and bullocks were
sent for post-mortem. A panchnama (record of witness testimony) was prepared and the bovines were marked and sent to a cow shed,” said the prosecution case.

The bovines, the prosecution alleged, were being illegally transported from Gujarat to Maharashtra without required certificates issued by competent authorities.

The accused was arrested on August 27, 2020. He was identified by the head constable (main witness in the case) during the identification parade. In his oral submission, he told the court that the accused was made to get down from the truck at the time of the incident and claimed that he had seen his face in the light.

The defence arguments that the accused was not driving the truck and that the policemen had not seen him at the time of incident were rejected by the court, as the witness kept denying it.

Based on oral submissions, the court found him guilty and awarded him life imprisonment. Except the police men, there were no other independent witness at the spot when the vehicle was stopped and the accused was made to de-board the truck and slipped into darkness.

The accused was represented by the legal aid of the state government.

File: Gujarat Animal Protection (1).pdf (301 KB)

Courtesy: Newsclick

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Manipur based Kishorechandra Wangkhem is no stranger to being arrested and sent to jail. However, this latest charge under the stringent National Security Act (NSA) may have taken him by surprise, actually probably not. The journalist has been charged under the NSA for his social media posts. According to media reports, Wangkhem, is in police custody for a social media post he made last week “alluding the death” of state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Saikhom Tikendra Singh due to Covid-19 related complications. 

Along with Wangkhem, political activist Erendro Leichombam was arrested on Thursday night, both from their homes, reported NDTV, following a complaint filed against them by the state BJP vice-president, Usham Deban, and general secretary P Premananda Meetei. The BJP leaders’ complaint accused the two men of posting “offensive comments” after Singh’s death. According to the Free Press Journal Wangkhem wrote, “Santhi Sanyung na yadrabo, oh!!! RIP #Rashikang_Kangyet Hayeng nga chaani,” which translates to “Cow dung cow urine didn’t work. Groundless argument. Tomorrow I will eat fish.” Leichombam had made a separate post reportedly dismissing the cow excera as a ‘cure for Covid’ theory.

According to NDTV, court in state capital Imphal, ordered on Monday, that the journalist “be detained under section 3(2) of National Security Act, 1980 until further orders, as and when he is released on bail,” adding that he must be “prevented from commission of such prejudicial activities”.

The posts were reported to be referring to a news feature by Reuters about a group that believed if they  smear cow dung and urine on their bodies it will protect them from being infected by Coronavirus. Medical experts have been dismissing this myth for long, and warning of secondary infections due to close contact with animal excreta. However, for the BJP, any comment on the cow, or cow related issues, is an offence meriting charges under NSA.

The Mumbai Press Club has strongly condemned the arrest,  and demanded that Wangkhem be immediately released.

We strongly condemn the arrest of Impal based journalist Kishorechandra Wangkhem and demand his immediate release. While expressing his condolences to a BJP leader, he wrote cow urine and dung are not a cure for Covid. @manipurmygov pic.twitter.com/AnY82Ev7qN

— Mumbai Press Club (@mumbaipressclub) May 16, 2021

In 2020, India’s press freedom rank has dropped to 142 out of 180. Reporters Without Borders (RSF)’ released their ‘2020 World Press Freedom Index’ that evaluates the situation for journalists each year in 180 countries and territories, and on expected lines, India is place 142 out of the 180 countries evaluated; this is two notches below the 140 position of 2019 and worst ever placement for India. The Report said: “Ever since the general elections in the spring of 2019, won overwhelmingly by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, pressure on the media to toe the Hindu nationalist government’s line has increased.” Criminal prosecutions are often used to gag journalists critical of the authorities, with some prosecutors invoking Section 124a of the penal code, under which “sedition” is punishable by life imprisonment.

Last year, Wangkhem was arrested for a Facebook post, a year before that he was arrested for something similar. According to NDTV, Wangkhem is facing charges under NSA for the second time. In 2018, the BJP-led Manipur government accused him of Sedition under the NSA after he was detained “allegedly for a social media post criticising Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh.”

Related:

Manipur journalists booked under UAPA, sedition law
FMP condemns misuse of draconian laws to target Manipur journalists
Woman journalist assaulted in Assam

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That senior doctors have to talk to health workers telling them not to smear their bodies with cow dung and cow urine is more than a bizarre tale. This is the strange and dangerous reality currently being reported from cow shelters in Gujarat, from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah hail. That cow dung and cow urine have some ‘curative’ or medicinal powers is a belief that still holds strong among many in India, and is often supported by the right-wing groups who see it as an important part of their agenda.

As the country continues to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic that has now reached cities and villages even as it continues to wreak havoc in big cities, some in Gujarat believe taking a bath in cow excreta will ‘protect’ them from Coronavirus. According to a report in Reuters, people have been going to cow shelters to smear themselves with ‘packs’ made of cow dung and cow urine because they believe this “will boost their immunity against, or help them recover from, the coronavirus.”

Doctors, however, have warned that this mixture will give “no protection from the coronavirus” and that it “may cause other infections including mucormycosis or black fungus.” The news report quoted Gautam Manilal Borisa, an associate manager at a pharmaceuticals company, who claimed “even doctors” undertake this cow dung therapy. He claimed that this “practice helped him recover from Covid-19 last year” and he continues to undergo it at the Shree Swaminarayan Gurukul Vishwavidya Pratishthanam. Reuters photos show how a group of men sit smeared with the dung and urine mixture and then wash it off with milk. 

Doctors in India are warning against covering one’s body in cow dung and urine in the belief it will ward off COVID-19, saying there is no scientific evidence for its effectiveness and that it risks spreading other diseases. More photos: https://t.co/g2rTla2PUx ? Amit Dave pic.twitter.com/3WpULYndxA

— Reuters Pictures (@reuterspictures) May 11, 2021

The report quotes Dr JA Jayalal, national president, Indian Medical Association, debunking this practice saying, “There is no concrete scientific evidence that cow dung or urine work to boost immunity against Covid-19, it is based entirely on belief,” adding “there are also health risks involved in smearing or consuming these products – other diseases can spread from the animal to humans.”

This comes close on the heels of a disturbing video of a man attempting to pour a yellow liquid, that was allegedly cow urine, or gau mutra, down the throat of a woman who is hooked to a ventilator. This incident came to light in the last week of April, and the questions were raised on how did the man even manage to get into a ward and administer the liquid to a seriously ill female patient.

According to another news report a Covid-19 isolation centre at Tetoda village in Deesa taluka of Banaskantha district, Gujarat is reportedly “treating” patients based on “ayurvedic medicines made of cow urine, dung, milk, ghee and curd” called “Panchagavya” or five elements/ essences from cows, along with allopathic medicines. It was reported by the Deccan Herald that this “centre is being run in a gaushala or cowshed that has over 5,000 cows managed by a trust ‘Rajaram Gaushala Ashram’ and is named “Vedalakshana Panchagavya Ayurvedic Covid Isolation Centre.” 

Related:

Take a swig of cow urine to finish Corona: Surendra Singh, BJP MLA
Did a BJP worker give ‘Gau Mutra’ to a Covid-19 patient on a ventilator?
Bad news for those still looking for gold in cow milk
Why does UGC want herds of students to take ‘cow science’ exams?
INVESTIGATION: The Missing Cows of Gujarat

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