Adding to Uttar Pradesh’s image as a state where vigilante groups feel no fear of the law, and are out targeting members of the minority communities, is the latest viral video of violence. In the video, a man is being mercilessly thrashed with a big stick by someone who calls himself a “gau rakshak” or a vigilante cow ‘protector. The victim is being held by the collar by two others while scores watch the attack in silence, till the victim collapses under the blows. 

This is from Moradabad, UP.

A Muslim guy was brutally beaten up by Hindutva goons on the allegation of carrying meat.

Hello @Uppolice , will you arrest these goons ??

Video : @SartajAlamIndia pic.twitter.com/gVFU09ifrV

— Md Asif Khan‏‎‎‎‎‎‎ (@imMAK02) May 23, 2021

The attacker is seen in another video “interrogating” the victim as if to make sure he is Muslim and a meat trader. According to news reports, the victim identified as  Mohammed Shakir is a meat seller and transporter, and was assaulted on Sunday afternoon in a village in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad district. The police, stated a NDTV report, have filed a case against the men who attacked Shakir, on the basis of a complaint by the victim’s brother. However, they have also filed a counter case, of their own volition, stated in the news report, against the victim, and charged him of  ‘mischief by killing an animal’, ‘committing an act likely to spread infection’, and ‘violation of Covid lockdown guidelines’.

थाना कटघर क्षेत्रान्तर्गत हुयी घटना के सम्बंध में #SSP @moradabadpolice की बाईट। थाना कटघर पर मुकदमा पंजीकृत किया गया है। अभियुक्तों की गिरफ्तारी हेतु पुलिस टीमें गठित की गई है। संभावित ठिकानों पर लगातार दबिश दी जा रही है। विधिक कार्यवाही शीघ्र पूर्ण की जायेगी। @Uppolice @dgpup pic.twitter.com/JKG7xStbAT

— MORADABAD POLICE (@moradabadpolice) May 24, 2021

While, a senior police official reportedly told NDTV that Shakir had been arrested but not jailed as the charges against him are ‘bailable. However, the cow vigilante, Manoj Thakur, has not been arrested yet, stated the report. On Monday afternoon Moradabad police informed the media that four others have been arrested and two more were on the run. Prabhakar Chaudhary, the Moradabad police chief, said, “We got a video of a meat-seller being beaten up and we have filed a case. There are five to six accused who have been named. We are carrying out searches and will arrest them soon.”

According to the news report, Shakir’s brother in his complaint to the police stated that Manoj Thakur and his associates attacked Shakir when he was carrying 50 kg of buffalo meat on a scooter, the FIR stated that the cow vigilantes demanded ₹ 50,000 from Shakir and then assaulted him, before warning him against going to the police, according to the news report. Thakur can be heard saying that in one of the video clips now gone viral. 

What adds to the crime is the fact that the accused Manoj Thakur then issued a statement from an undisclosed location that has been circulated to journalists in the district, reported NDTV. Thakur said, “We tried to stop this man but he hit us with his vehicle. Using two lathis to hit a man is a crime but trying to kill someone isn’t? I am trying to stop cow slaughter but the police are now threatening me. Let the administration give me a police team… I will expose this racket.” The tone says it all. 

Samajwadi Party leader, Moradabad’s Member of Parliament ST Hasan, in his video statement expressed concern on the situation now unfolding in Uttar Pradesh with such vigilantes on the loose again. Hasan said he heard that Shakir got the meat from a factory and had a receipt, “yet he was assaulted. I want to say that this hatred in the name of cow slaughter has to stop. It is God’s grace this man was not killed.” 

…. The @moradabadpolice chief says a case has been registered against the ‘vigilantes’ and that they are ‘looking’ for the main accused and others . What he does not say is that after the assault , the thana cops booked the meat trader too (thankfully under bailable sections) … pic.twitter.com/IpMePCnx7B

— Alok Pandey (@alok_pandey) May 24, 2021

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The post Cow vigilantes assault Muslim man, cops file case against victim too! appeared first on SabrangIndia.

As has become a pattern, the Gau Raksha Seva Dal had organised the protest demanding sedition charges against Congress workers in Kerala after they slaughtered a cow in public and held ‘beef fests’ on May 27. The Youth Congress workers allegedly slaughtered the cow to protest the central government’s decision banning sale and purchase of cattle from animal markets for slaughter.

Claiming that they mistook Shivam to be a photographer as he had a camera with him and asked him to take photographs of the protest and them handing a memorandum to district officials. After Shivam reportedly refused to do so, it led to an argument, however, bystanders calmed the protesters.

Bent o0n mob violence, post the protest, the gau rakshaks followed Shivam and stabbed him on his chest and stomach with knives. “He was admitted to a local hospital initially but taken to Delhi because of his condition,” police inspector Ajaib Singh told the media.

A 19-year-old, Mohit who is the main suspect in the case, has been arrested and two more suspects, both relatives of Mohit, are on the run. An “attempt to murder” case has been lodged against the three people and the complaint mentions the accused as members of the cow protection group. It is not yet known whether Mohit belongs to a clearly defined dupremacist outfit.

Typically, despite the fact that the three persons were part of the protest, the gau rakshak group has disowned the trio, saying they were troublemakers who joined the protest, the police inspector said.

The post Student Struggles for Life after Brute Attack by Cow Vigilante Mobs: Gohana, Haryana appeared first on SabrangIndia.

याचिकाकर्ता तहसीन पूनावाला ने गौरक्षा के नाम पर दलितों और मुसलमानों के खिलाफ हो रही हिंसा रोकने की माँग की है और कहा है कि ऐसी हिंसा करने वाले संगठनों पर उसी तरह से पाबंदी लगाई जाए जिस तरह की पाबंदी सिमी जैसे संगठन पर लगी है।

याचिका में कहा गया है कि देश में कुछ राज्यों में गौरक्षा दलों को सरकारी मान्यता मिली हुई है जिससे इनके हौंसले बढ़े हुए हैं। माँग की गई है कि गौरक्षक दलों की सरकारी मान्यता समाप्त की जाए।

गौरक्षक दलों पर प्रतिबंध लगाने की मांग को लेकर दायर इस याचिका पर सुप्रीम कोर्ट में शनिवार को सुनवाई हुई, जिसके बाद न्यायमूर्ति दीपक मिश्रा और न्यायमूर्ति अमिताभ राय की पीठ ने केंद्र और छह राज्य सरकारों से 7 नवंबर तक अपने जवाब देने को कहा।
 
याचिका के साथ में गौरक्षक दलों की हिंसा के वीडियो और अखबार की कटिंग लगाई गई हैं और अदालत से इनका संज्ञान लेने को कहा गया है। केंद्र के अलावा, गुजरात, राजस्थान, झारखंड, महाराष्ट्र, उत्तर प्रदेश और कर्नाटक से सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने जवाब माँगा है। अगली सुनवाई 7 नवंबर को ही होगी। 

ध्यान रहे कि प्रधानमंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी भी कह चुके हैं कि अधिकतर गौरक्षक अपराधी होते हैं, और दिन में गौरक्षक बन जाते हैं तथा रात में अपराध करते हैं। हालाँकि आरएसएस प्रमुख मोहन भागवत ने गौरक्षकों को देशसेवक मानते हैं।

The post गौरक्षक दलों पर प्रतिबंध की माँग- सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने केंद्र और 6 राज्यों से माँगा जवाब appeared first on SabrangIndia.

In 2014, soon after Narendra Modi became prime minister, the Gau Raksha Dal cow protection outfit roped in former dacoit Renu Yadav and made her its general secretary in Uttar Pradesh, hoping to give a boost to its activities.

For some time, Yadav, driven by a desire for fame, conducted regular, ferocious raids against cattle traders in the state's Itawa-Auraiya-Kanpur belt.

Within two years, however, she became thoroughly disillusioned and abandoned cow protection activities completely.

“These gau rakshaks are worse than the thugs of the ravines,” Yadav, who lives in Kasba Jana village in Auraiya district, told Scroll. “You can’t trust them. Like a fool, I used to take risks and conduct raids. But every time, the exercise used to end in cattle traders giving a bribe to other leaders of Gau Raksha Dal and the police. They had formed a nexus with the police and kept it secret from me for long,” she added.

A terror in the Chambal ravines, Renu Yadav belonged to the gang of dreaded dacoit Chandan Yadav. In 2005, after Chandan Yadav and some of his gang members were killed in an encounter, she surrendered to the police. “I remained in prison for seven years, three months and 15 days,” she said. “After coming out, I worked for Samajwadi Party and campaigned extensively for Dimple Yadav [the wife of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav] during the Lok Sabha election of 2014.”

Nexus with police
A few months after the Lok Sabha elections, she was approached by the state president of Gau Raksha Dal, Shrikrishna Pal, who offered her the post of general secretary of the outfit. “I accepted it because I venerate the cow," Yadav said. "I thought this way I would serve gau mata and earn a new image for myself.”

She added: “I gathered some unemployed young men and started conducting raids on regular basis. After every successful raid, we used to hand over cattle traders and transporters to police, thinking that they would be punished. But that never happened. On every occasion, I found out later, other leaders of Gau Raksha Dal used to enter into some kind of deal with cattle traders, who would then be let off by the police. The nexus between these leaders and police is so strong that no one can break it."

On his part, Pal refused to concede that he or any other leader of his outfit has any nexus with the police. “That is a totally baseless allegation," he said. "Our aim is to serve the cow because the cow symbolises the essence of Hindu Rashtra.”

Pal admitted that Renu Yadav “worked hard” and “saved five [hundred] to 600” cows after she joined the outfit and that for last couple of months she had suddenly become inactive. “She should have complained to me," he said. "In any case, these are our internal issues. I will talk to her, and everything will be resolved.”

That, however, is not how the former bandit looks at Pal and his Gau Raksha Dal. “I used to have high regards for Doctor Saab [Pal is also a practitioner of naturopathy and likes to be referred to as ‘Doctor’]," she said. "But now I don’t because he cheated me. He always played safe. I remember that he never accompanied us during raids and always had some excuse to be absent from operations on the ground. After raids, however, he used to emerge from I don’t know where and reach the police station to take care of the remaining part of cow protection.”

It is not that Renu Yadav has had a change of heart – she finds nothing wrong in all that she did in the name of cow protection. Nor did she ever think that by protecting cows she would be furthering a political ideology that seeks to convert India into a Hindu Rashtra. It is just that she cannot comprehend how anyone vowing to protect the gau mata could get away with such a cavalier attitude towards what she considers sacred.

That anger – and not remorse of any kind – is at the heart of her disillusionment with the Gau Raksha Dal.

Courtesy: Scroll.in

The post This bandit-turned-cow vigilante feels gau rakshaks are worse than the thugs of Chambal appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Mokati Elisa was found in an unconscious state, bleeding, with a battered eyebrow
begging his oppressors to let go

---

A mob in Amalapuram town of  Andhra Pradesh attacked two Dalit brothers for skinning a dead cow on August 9. Mokati Elisa and his brother Lazar were tied to a tree, stripped and beaten by a mob of around 100 people. The latest such attack by self-styled protectors of the cow comes less than 48 hours of PM ‪‎Modi's "shoot me, not Dalits” speech. While on one hand the PM appealed to his constituency to not attack Dalits, the representatives of the TDP-BJP government in AP did not even visit the victims.  

Elisa managed to file a police complaint only on August 10, with the help of his 38 year-old son Chittibabu who found him in an unconscious state, bleeding, with a battered eyebrow and begging his oppressors for mercy. Both Elisa and Lazar have been admitted in Amalapuram's government hospital. While all political parties and civil society members have condemned the incident and visited the victims, the BJP-TDP government have maintained silence while denying any political group's involvement in the incident. There has not been a word on this brutal violence from Chief Minister Naidu or his alliance partners. Two people have been arrested by the police while others are still absconding. All alleged perpetrators have been booked under various sections of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The two Dalit brothers were called for skinning a cow that had died of electrocution while grazing. The brothers belong to the Madiga community, a Scheduled Caste that is found primarily in the states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. The community earns its living by making leather goods.

On July 12, four Dalit youths in Una, a small town in Gujarat were thrashed with iron rods, chained to a car and dragged to a police station. The young men were also skinning a dead cow when the assaulters, members of the local gau raksha samiti, accused them of killing the cow for the purpose of selling beef and attacked them. The gruesome act was captured on video by their assaulters and widely circulated using WhatsApp and other social media channels. While slaughtering cows and selling or consuming beef is banned in Gujarat, skinning of dead animals is not illegal.

Recently, the Prime Minister condemned "self-styled gau rakshaks”, but did not declare any concrete action plan to address the increasing violence against Dalit. He also claimed that "80 per cent of all such cow vigilantes were fake” Since the BJP government has come to power, attacks on Dalits, Muslims and Adivasis have considerably increased. The comments by PM Modi came only after a massive protest march by Dalits in Gujarat, their ongoing Azadi March to Una and resistance shown in Uttar Pradesh.  Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat are poll-bound states and have a huge Dalit population. Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel's resignation and the condemnation of gau rakshaks from Modi and RSS can be clearly seen as a move to woe Dalit voters and to brush up its reputation of being inherently anti-Dalit. The entire machinery of the current regime however, seems to have turned a blind eye towards minorities. For instance, the PM has still not condemned Dadri and Latehar lynchings of Muslims. This selective condemnation and timing indicates deliberate electioneering and refusal to protect minorities.

Courtesy: Newsclick.in

The post Gau Rakshaks Spare PM, Instead Thrash Two More Dalits appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Courtesy: Scroll.in

The post ‘Hindus will rule’: This video by Gau Raksha Dal Punjab glorifies vigilantism – and killings appeared first on SabrangIndia.

 
प्रिय गोरक्षकों,

मैं जानता हूं कि आजकल आप लोग ताकत के नशे में चूर हैं। 2014 में सत्ता परिवर्तन के साथ ही आप लोग और मजबूत हो गए हैं। मैं यह भी समझता हूं कि आप लोगों में अचानक यह उबाल अचानक नहीं आया है। इसके पीछे आपकी लंबी भावनात्मक कसमसाहट रही है। आप मानते हैं कि जिसने भी आपकी गोमाता का अपमान किया हो। उसे प्रताड़ित किया हो मारा हो, उसे दंडित किया जाए। मैं इस बात को समझता हूं कि आप ऐसे लोगों को सबक सिखाने के अभियान पर निकले हैं।

मेरा इरादा आपको कोई लेक्चर देने का नहीं है। न मैं आपकी हिप्पोक्रेसी का मजाक उड़ाना चाहता हूं। एक तरफ तो आप पवित्र गाय की रक्षा के लिए दलितों और मुसलमानों को मार रहे हैं तो दूसरी ओर आपकी सरकार पिंक रेव्यूलेशन को बढ़ावा देकर भारत को सबसे बड़ा मांस निर्यातक देश बनाना चाहती है। लेकिन हमारे पास कुछ ऐसे सवाल हैं, जिनका आपको जवाब देने की जरूरत नहीं है। ये सवाल आप अपने आप से पूछें।

सबसे पहले अपने डेली रूटीन से शुरू करें।
सुबह उठकर आप जिस टूथपेस्ट का इस्तेमाल करते हैं तो क्या सुनिश्चित कर लेते हैं कि इसमें ग्लीसिरिन न हो। वो ग्लीसिरिन जो आपकी पवित्र गाय से न बनी हो। आप जो ग्लीसिरिन इस्तेमाल कर रहे हैं उसमें गाय की चर्बी न हो। 

मैन्यूफैक्चरर्स यह दावा कर सकते हैं यह ग्लीसिरिन पेड़-पौधे(सोयाबीन या पाम) से बनी है लेकिन यह आप कैसे पक्का करेंगे कि वे मुनाफा कमाने के लिए चर्बी का इस्तेमाल नहीं करेंगे। क्योंकि पेड़ –पौधे से बनी ग्लीसिरिन ज्यादा महंगी होती है।

क्या आपने पता किया है कि आप जो माउथवाश, सेविंग क्रीम, च्यूंगगम, हेयर क्रीम, शैंपू, कंडीशनर, मायस्चराइजर आदि का इस्तेमाल करते हैं वह गाय से न निकला हो। दरअसल पेंथोनोल, अमीनो, एसिड या विटामीन बी या तो जानवरों से हासिल होता है या पौधों से। इसलिए इन चीजों को इस्तेमाल करने से पहले इसकी पड़ताल कर लें कि इनके स्त्रोत क्या हैं। कपड़ों को नरम करने के लिए जो चीज इस्तेमाल की जाती है इसमें सूखी चर्बी यानी डिमिथाइल अमोनियम क्लोराइड मिली होती है। इसका स्त्रोत क्या है।

ब्रश कर लिया आपने। अब चाय पीने की बारी है। लेकिन रुकिये, तय कर लीजिये कि जो चीनी आप इसमें इस्तेमाल करेंगे उसे गाय की हड्डी से तो साफ नहीं किया गया है।

अब नाश्ते की बात आती है। क्या लेना पसंद करेंगे। छोले-पूड़ी। लेकिन पहले यह तय करें कि जिस रिफाइंड तेल में पूड़ी तली जाएगी, उसमें चर्बी कि मिलावट न हो। आपकी जानकारी के लिए बता दें कि जिस देशभक्त सरकार को आपने उत्साह से चुना है उसने चर्बी की मिलावट पर 32 साल पहले इंदिरा गांधी सरकार में लगा बैन हटा दिया है। उस दौरान वनस्पति तेल में चर्बी की मिलावट की बात आई थी।

अब ड्राइंग रूम की ओर रुख करते हैं। आपके ड्राइंग रूम में जो बेहतरीन सोफा रखा है उसमे जानवरों से बने उत्पादों का इस्तेमाल किया गया हो। जिस ग्लू से प्लाइवुड को साटते हैं या इसे लेमिनेट करते हैं, वह जानवरों की हड्डियों से बना हो सकता है। जी हां, यह जानवरों की हड्डियों, टिश्यू, खाल को उबाल कर बनाया जाता है। यानी गाय, भैंसों और सूअर की हड्डियों से। यह ठीक है कि आजकल सिथेंटिक ग्लू भी उपलब्ध है। लेकिन यह कैसे पता करेंगे कि आपके फर्नीचर में कौन सा ग्लू इस्तेमाल हुआ है।
अब सफर की बात करते हैं। आप कार, बाइक या बस से सफर करते होंगे। लेकिन टायर बनाने वाली कंपनियां इसके निर्माण में स्टेरिक एसिड का इस्तेमाल करती हैं। उबड़-खाबड़ सड़कों पर यह टायर को  अपने शेप में रखने में मदद करता है। स्टेरिक एसिड का इस्तेमाल कॉस्मेटिक, मोमबत्तियों, ल्यूब्रीकेंट्स, डियोडरेंट, क्रीम और फ्लेवरिंग एजेंट्स में इस्तेमाल किया जाता है।

शॉपिंग में आप प्लास्टिक की थैलियों का इस्तेमाल करते हैं। लेकिन इसमें स्लीप एजेंट्स का इस्तेमाल होता है, जो प्लास्टिक को स्मूद बनाता है ताकि यह रगड़ न खाए। या स्लीप एजेंट चर्बी से ही बनते हैं। हालांकि पॉलिमर्स पेट्रोलियम से बनते हैं। लेकिन प्लास्टिक मैन्यूफैक्चर्स अक्सर इसकी क्वालिटी बढ़ाने के लिए जानवरों से बनाई चीजों का इसमें इस्तेमाल करते हैं। कच्चे पॉलिमर की प्रोसेसिंग में भी इसका इस्तेमाल होता है। स्लीप एजेंट के लिए पेड़-पौधे का इस्तेमाल होता है लेकिन आप कैसे तय करेंगे कि मल्टीनेशनल कंपनियां इसका ही इस्तेमाल कर रही हैं। क्या वे महंगा कच्चा माल का इस्तेमाल कर अपना सामान महंगा करने का जोखिम उठाएंगी। क्या वे सिर्फ आपकी भावनाओं का सम्मान करने के लिए पेड़-पौधे से बने महंगे कच्चे माल का इस्तेमाल करेंगी।

अब आपके मुख्य काम की बात करते हैं। जैसे दलित, मुस्लमों और महिलाओं की पिटाई करना। लेकिन यह निश्चित कर लें कि पिटाई की चक्कर में आप चोट न खा बैठें। लेकिन अगर चोट लग भी गई है और आपको कैप्सूल की जरूरत पड़े तो इस्तेमाल करने से पहले सोचिएगा। क्योंकि कैप्सूल का खोल एनिमल प्रोटीन से बना होता है। कैप्सूल जिलेटिन से बनाए जाते हैं। जिलेटिन गाय की खाल, लिगामेंट्स (हड्डियों का जोड़), हडडियां, और नसों को उबाल कर बनाया जाता है। अगर आपको स्टिच लगाने की जरूरत पड़े तो जिस धागे का इस्तेमाल किया जाता है वह गायों की आंतों से बनी होती हैं। पश्चिमी देशों ने अब संक्रमण और मेड काउ डिजीज जैसी बीमारी से बचने के लिए आंतों से बने सर्जिकल धागे का इस्तेमाल बंद कर दिया है। लेकिन भारत में यह निश्चित नहीं है कि इस धागे का इस्तेमाल न हो।

क्या आप जानते हैं कि जो दवा आप ले रहे हैं उसमें गाय, भैंस या सूअर के अंगों का इस्तेमाल हुआ है। अगर आप हाई ब्लड प्रेशर या हाइपरटेंशन के शिकार हैं तो डॉक्टरों के कहने पर आपको हेपारिन लेना पड़ सकता है। हेपारिन खून को पतला करने का काम करता है। लेकिन क्या आपको पता है कि यह कैसे बनता है। यह बनाया जाता है गाय के फेफड़ों और सूअरों की आंत से। अगर डाइबिटीज के मरीज हैं और इंसुलिन का इस्तेमाल कर रहे हैं तो सूअरों के पैंक्रियाज से बनाया जाता है। बहुत सारे वैकसीन चिकन का भ्रूण से बनाए जाते हैं। या फिर गिनी पिग के सीरम या भ्रूण से।

अरे, आप तो परेशान हो गए। मन हल्का करने के लिए आइए आईपीएल का कोई मैच देख लेते हैं। लेकिन जरा रुकिये जो गेंद इसमें इस्तेमाल होती है, उसकी लेदर गाय की खाल या बछड़े की खाल से तैयार होती है। कुछ ज्यादा ही परेशान हो गए। टेंशन हटाने के लिए सिगरेट पीना चाहें तो पी सकते हैं। लेकिन यहां भी मुसीबत है। सिगरेट  के फिल्टर वाली रूई में सूअर के खून का इस्तेमाल होता है। खैर, इससे आपको कोई फर्क नहीं पड़ेगा क्योंकि आप तो मुसलमान नहीं है। लेकिन अगर गुटखा खाते हों तो सावधान हो जाइए। गुटखे में जो सस्ती सुपारी इस्तेमाल होती है, वो जानवरों की खाल साफ करने के बाद छोड़ी गई होती है। जाहिर है दो रुपये में आप क्या उम्मीद कर सकते हैं। फ्रेश सुपारी की उम्मीद कर रहे हैं। जरा गुटखा बनाने वाली कंपनियों के एड्रेस देखें। ज्यादातर के पते कानपुर के हैं। क्या देश में सबसे अधिक टैनरीज यहीं नहीं है। सोच लीजिये सस्ता गुटखा बनाने वाली कंपनियों के लिए सस्ती सुपारी कहां से आती होगी। चलिए, छोड़िये। जो जेली बीन्स और कैंडी आप अपने बच्चों के लिए ले जाते हैं। क्या वे शाकाहारी होती हैं। जरा चेक करिए। ज्यादातर जेली बीन्स और कैंडी में जानवरों की हड्डी का इस्तेमाल होता है। आपकी महिलाएं जो लिपिस्टक इस्तेमाल करती हैं वे सूअर की चर्बी से बनी होती हैं। और गाय की चर्बी का इस्तेमाल योगर्ट, आइसक्रीम और आई शेडो में भी होता है।

मैं ऐसे सैकड़ों प्रोडक्ट का नाम गिना सकता हूं। जिनमें गाय या चर्बी का इस्तेमाल होता है। लेकिन मेरा मानना है कि मैंने अपनी बात साफ कर दी है। ये केवल दलित और मुस्लिम ही नहीं है जो आपका धर्म भ्रष्ट कर रहे हैं। कॉरपोरेट दुनिया जो कर रही है वो आप सोच भी नहीं सकते। इसलिए उन गरीबों पर हमला कर क्या होगा, जो मरे हुए जानवरों की खाल निकालने का काम रोजी-रोटी के लिए करते हैं। ये तो एजेंट हैं, जो कंपनियों को इस तरह का माल सप्लाई करते हैं। कंपनियां जानवरों की खाल, हड्डियों और चर्बी का इस्तेमाल कर सामान बनाती हैं और मुनाफा कमाने के लिए आपको बेचती है। असली धंधा तो कॉरपोरेट कंपनियां कर रही हैं। लेकिन क्या आप उन पर हमला करने की सोच भी सकते हैं। क्या आप उन कंपनियों की ओर से बनाई जाने वाले सारे प्रोडक्ट इस्तेमाल करना बंद कर देंगे।

आप कह सकते हैं कि आप तो सिर्फ बीफ खाना रोकना चाहते हैं। लेकिन गायों की हड्डियों, आंतों, खुरों और खालों और चर्बी का क्या करेंगे, जिनका इस्तेमाल कर कंपनियां अपने प्रोडक्ट बेचती हैं।

इसलिए क्या मैं आपसे यह उम्मीद कर सकता हूं कि आप जियो और जीने दो का सिद्धांत का पालन करेंगे। इस दुनिया में हर किसी के लिए जगह है। क्या आप अपनी सांप्रदायिक सनक से बरसों से चले आ रहे आपसी संबंधों को खत्म नहीं कर रहे हैं।
नफरत करना छोड़िए। अपने पड़ोसियों से प्रेम कीजिये। उन दोस्तों के प्रति उदार हों जो आपके समुदाय के नहीं हैं। अपने देशवासियों से प्रेम कीजिये।

हां, जाते-जाते एक बात और। खुशी में कभी पटाखे न चलाएं। पर्यावरण की बेहतरी के लिहाज से ऐसा नहीं कह रहा हूं। दरअसल पटाखों को मेटल पाउडर से कोट करने के लिए जिस एल्यूमीनियम और आयरन की जरूरत होती है उसमें स्टेरिक एसिड का इस्तेमाल होता है और यह आपको फिर बताने की जरूरत है कि यह एसिड कैसे बनता है।  

फरहान रहमान झारखंड सेंट्रल यूनिवर्सिटी में रिसर्च स्कॉलर हैं।

[1] http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/gujarat-violence-in-saurashtra-kills-policeman-dalit-youth-commits-suicide-2924408/  
[2] http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-on-top-in-exporting-beef/article7519487.ece
[3] http://www.treehugger.com/green-food/9-everyday-products-you-didnt-know-had-animal-ingredients.html
[4] http://newlynatural.com/blog/2009/07/animal-glycerin-vs-veggie-glycerin/
[5] http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/faqingredients.htm
[6] http://gentleworld.org/hidden-animal-fats/
[7] http://www.huffingtonpost.in/entry/sugar-vegan-bone-char-yikes_n_6391496
[8] http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/amid-beef-row-buffalo-tallow-export-booms/article7938266.ece
[9] http://www.peta.org/living/beauty/animal-ingredients-list/
[10] https://www.britannica.com/technology/adhesive
[11] http://roogirl.com/20-everyday-items-that-contain-animal-ingredients/
[12] http://myplasticfreelife.com/2010/08/is-there-animal-fat-in-your-plastic-bag/
[13] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsule_(pharmacy
[14] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catgut_suture
[15] http://naturallysavvy.com/live/10-most-common-and-kinda-gross-animal-ingredients-found-in-prescription-medications
[16] http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2013/03/13/174205188/is-your-medicine-vegan-probably-not
[17] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heparin
[18] http://scroll.in/article/759544/why-only-outrage-against-beef-cricket-balls-shoes-tablas-contain-cow-parts-too
[19] http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health-news/Cigarette-filters-have-pigs-blood/articleshow/5742789.cms
[20] http://www.peta.org/living/beauty/cosmetic-ingredients/
[21]http://www.alternet.org/story/145144/ice_cream_has_meat_in_it_7_'vegetarian'_foods_that_actually_contain_meat_products
[22] http://www.thehindu.com/features/magazine/whats-behind-that-glass-of-milk/article4675921.ece
 

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Dear Gau Rakshaks,

I understand that you are riding on the wave of power right now, feeling emboldened with the change of regime since 2014. I also understand that this sudden spasm is a result of pent up emotions since long and not a product of overnight political demagoguery. You wish to wreck vengeance on those who you believe have desecrated, abused and tortured your holy cow with impunity for long. I understand that yours is an act of retribution aimed at teaching a lesson to ‘wrongdoers’ who have hitherto gone unpunished.

I am not writing this letter to lecture or to advise you on the inappropriateness of your act. Nor do I intend to mock at the hypocrisy of your act. That on one hand you are thrashing Muslims and Dalits in the name of the holy cow[1], while on the other hand your very own government is promoting a ‘pink revolution’, making India the top beef exporter country of the world[2].  

Here are a few questions which you don’t need to answer to me but to yourself.

Let me begin with your daily chores.

When you wake up in the morning, do you ensure that the toothpaste you’re using does not contain glycerine made from the fat of a holy cow? Yes, glycerine is derived from tallow (fat)[3]. The manufacturers would claim the glycerine they use is from vegetable sources (soyabeans or palm). How do you ensure they place your faith before their profit, considering that the glycerine from a veg-source is costlier than the non-veg counterpart?[4]
 
Do you actually check whether the mouthwash, chewing gum[5], shaving cream soap, hair cream, shampoo, conditioner or moisturizer that you use are not derived from a cow?[6] The ‘Panthenol’, ‘Amino acids’, or ‘Vitamin B’ can be either from animal or plant source. Please check before use. The fabric softener you use contains Dihydrogenated tallow dimethyl ammonium chloride. What is the source?

Brushed your teeth? How about a cup of tea? But wait, please ensure that the sugar you are using has not been whitened using the bones of cow.[7]  

Let’s go for breakfast. What would you like? Chhole Poori? Please ensure that the refined edible oil you are using is not adulterated with tallow (fat). For your information, the patriotic government that you elected has surreptitiously removed the 32-year old ban on tallow which was imposed by Mrs. Indira Gandhi in 1983 after disclosure of beef fat being using by companies in vanaspati (vegetable cooking oil).[8]

Come, let’s move to your drawing room. Nice sofa. Do you know that the furniture in your house might have been made using animal products? The glue that is used for manufacture of plywood or for the laminates could well be of animal origin.[9] Yes, glue is prepared by boiling the hides, bones, connective tissue and meat of animals, viz cow, buffalo or pigs. It is true that synthetic glue is also available nowadays. But considering it’s a matter of deep faith, how do you ensure which glue is used in your furniture?[10]

Ok, let’s go out. What’s your mode of travel – car or bike? Please check the tyres. No, not for the air pressure, but whether the tyre manufacturer has used animal-based stearic acid which helps the rubber retain its shape under steady surface friction. Incidentally, stearic acid is also used in cosmetics, candle sticks, lubricants, deodorants, cream and flavouring agents.[11]

Let’s go shopping. Please avoid using plastic bags. Why? Because many plastics, including shopping bags, contain 'slip agents', which reduce the friction in the material. What are those made of? Animal fat of course. Although polymers are manufactured from petroleum feedstock, plastics manufacturers often use additives of animal origin to improve material properties and/or to aid in processing of raw polymers. Slip agents can also be produced through vegetative process, but the pertinent question is whether multi-national corporations will compromise on profit by opting for a costlier input material out of respect for your faith?[12]

Let’s talk of your primary current occupation – bashing, brutalising Dalits and Muslims, men and women. Please make sure you don’t get hurt hurting others. If you do, please ask your Doc to give you tablets, not capsules, because the capsule shell is again made from animal protein.[13] The gelatine used in capsule shells is prepared by boiling the hides, ligaments, bones or tendons of cows, buffaloes or pigs. If you need a stitch, please ask the doctor what the surgical threads are made of. They are normally made from the intestines of the cow[14]. Western countries have discarded the use of surgical threads made from intestines of bovine animals due to infection risks of ‘bovine spongiform encephalopathy’ or ‘mad cow disease’. But can you be sure of the same in India.

Do you know that the medicines you take may be using ingredients from organs of cow, buffalo or pigs? If you are suffering from hypertension and high blood pressure, the Doc might prescribe ‘heparin’. Heparin is used as a blood thinning agent and as an anti-coagulant.[15] It is also used in dialysis. Do you know how heparin is produced? From lungs of cows or intestines of pigs.[16] If you are diabetic, the insulin that you take is prepared from pancreas of pigs. A number of vaccines are produced from embryo of chicken, or serum and embryo of guinea pigs.[17]

Frustrated? OK, let’s watch IPL. But wait. Do you know that the game which gets your adrenaline shooting also involves the cow? Holy cow! The leather covering of the ball used in cricket is made from the hide of calf, cow calf.[18]

Ok. Chill. Take a puff. But beware, cigarette too seems to be non-vegetarian. The filter bud may contain pig blood.[19] That you might say is not your problem for the pig is taboo for Muslims, isn’t it? But what about gutka? Do you know that the supari contained in gutka is the left over supari, obtained after cleaning the hides of bovine animals? What more do you expect from a packet of Rs. 2? Fresh supari? Check yourself, the manufacturer’s address. Kanpur? Isn’t Kanpur the hub of tanning industry? Got it? Google it yourself.Ok. You avoid these in any case since they are injurious to health. But then those jelly beans and candies that you take home for your kids are also strictly vegetarian. They may have been made using animal bones. The lipstick[20] that your women use at home is also made from beef tallow which incidentally is also used in yoghurt, ice cream[21] and eye shadow.  
 
I can point out hundreds of such products (to be honest you provided me the necessary spur for research on the issue). But I suppose I have made my point clear. It is not Dalits and Muslims who are destroying your faith. The corporate world has screwed up your belief system beyond redemption[22]. So why attack the poor people who eke out a living? They are mere agents who provide the raw materials to corporate bodies which in turn produce any number of goods for your daily use. The real business is being done by corporate giants. Would you dare attack them? Would you stop using all the products mentioned above?
 
You might argue that you are only against beef consumption. But how would you get to the bones, the intestines, the hoofs, the hides, the tallow etc required for manufacturing your daily use items?
 
So, may I suggest you consider the live and let live principle? There’s space for everybody. In your communal frenzy you are destroying age- old bonds. What for?
 
Cheers. Make merry with your neighbours and friends who do not necessarily belong to your community. Love your countrymen.
 
But one last caution for now. Don’t burst crackers. No, no, not just for the environment’s sake. Stearic acid is often used in fireworks to coat metal powders such as aluminium and iron. This prevents oxidation, allowing compositions to be stored for a longer period of time. Do I need to repeat where stearic acid comes from?
 
Farhan Rahman is a research scholar at the Central University of Jharkhand.

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In his speech on August 6, 2016 Prime Minister Narendra Modi finally expressed his views on cow miscreants. This after the Dalit community in Gujarat refused to pick up cow carcasses. Seven Dalit men were beaten by right wing miscreants ('gau rakshaks') in Una. The Dalit community protested against the violence by disposing off dead animals in front of government offices. They have refused to pick up dead animals. Something considered to be their job by the Indian (read Hindu) caste system.

This large scale Dalit protest lead to Anandiben Patel’s resignation. Chief minister of Gujarat is a close aide of Prime Minister and yet she resigned. In short BJP is alarmed and stunned by Dalit power. Real, visceral, in your face, on the street, political power. If cow is your mother, you perform her last rites, is the resounding new Dalit slogan on the roads of Gujarat. And on the virtual roads of social networking sites.

The young Dalit gives a damn for news channels where caste Hindu and corporate interests refuse to smell the coffee. Dalit protests are beyond all conventionalism. Nothing is conservative about Dalit protests. BJP and other political parties have been zapped out of their wits about what might come next!

Welcome change of heart!

In his speech on gau rakshaks on August 6, 2016 Prime Minister Narendra Modi  tells the gau sevaks (cow servants) to be aware that cows mostly die eating plastic. That the sevaks should keep plastic away from cows. In  his best environmentalist avatar Narendra Modi talks about getting rid of plastic altogether for the cause of cow. The slaughter house rant is old and over!

Narendra Modi’s views on cow, beef and 'Gau Raksha' (Cow protection) have changed substantially from the time he was chief minister of Gujarat. Not long ago in one of his many speeches on cows, Modi observed that the then Congress-led Central government had acknowledged India’s number one position as beef exporter. In the video below he seems surprised that people don’t react angrily to such things.

In another speech in the not so distant past, Modi made fun of “pink revolution”. With his characteristic wit and humour Modi said most people talk about white and green revolution but the then Central government had been speaking of pink revolution. This without the caveat that Modi's government was not responsible for white or green revolution. By 'pink' Modi had meant the colour of meat. He seemed traumatised that the Central government believed in cutting animals and exporting meat. He called the meat mutton and beef.

Dalit Ki Baat

The Prime Minister regularly talks to Indian citizens through his show, 'Mann ki Baat' (broadly translated: Soul Chat). For months, however, the prime minister's mann was mum on cow vigilante groups. His citizens were getting killed, tortured, hung, humiliated in the name of the cow!

A man named Aqhlaq was killed in Dadri. A cow vigilante group spread beef rumour. They entered his house under the pretext of beef in his fridge. Aqhlaq was killed. His son suffered a head injury. His other family members were beaten and humiliated. Ironically, the meat in the fridge was sent by officials to the forensic department. To examine the nature of the meat. There were discussions on television channels on the issue as to whether the meat was beef or mutton. Modi and his government kept quiet about the absurdity of the situation.

On July 17, a gang of 30-40 Bajrang Dal members barged into the house of a Dalit family in Karnataka, beat them up with sticks and threatened them with machetes. The incident, however, came to light only on July 23. The attackers warned Dalits that if they didn't stop eating beef, they would be killed. Prime Minister Modi's government kept quiet.

Two Muslim women were beaten up by members of cow vigilante groups at Mandsaur railway station in Madhya Pradesh over suspicion that they were carrying beef. Not a word from  the prime minister who talks about women's empowerment. No reaction from his government to women being beaten up in a crowded railway station in broad day light by a bunch of goons.

However, when the highways (freeways) of Gujarat are full of dead animals – the Prime Minister must speak. These are not slogans on television. These are not distant, under privileged, men and women getting beaten up somewhere far away. These are streets of the prime minister's home state. Streets that must embody his idea of Swatch Bharat. What we see instead now are endless rotten, smelling, dead animals.

Uttar Pradesh Elections in 2017

Prime Minister, like the leaders of the Opposition, knows that assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh (largest province of India) is round the corner. Mayawati, former chief minister from this state, is a popular Dalit leader. She is liked by non-Dalits too. The change in Dalit mood has changed the moderate population's idea of the right-wing already.

In his town hall speech, Modi told state governments to create a dossier of cow miscreants. He added that those who were anti-social elements at night pretend to be cow protectors in the day.

Modi's show of anger towards the gau rakshaks is definitely a resounding support for Dalit workers who clean carcass in Gujarat. Prime Minister Modi extended support to Gau Sevaks or Hindus who are cow worshippers from the same stage. I am wondering how to interpret Prime Minister's sentence that Rajas (Hindu kings) protected cows and Badshahs (Mughal/Muslim kings) used cows to win battles. And the timing of it!

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