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Another episode of Cow Vigilantism took place this year on the occasion of Eid-al-Adha without any fail. The reported case took place in Gurugram. Youth Lukmaan who was delivering buffalos meat was nabbed around 9 AM at Sector 4-5 Chowk of the ‘Millenium City’. Which is located just next doors to the national capital Delhi.
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The Lukmaan was dragged by a dozens of people and beaten and harassed in middle of busy road. While passers-by and even police was watching. The men in the viral video are also seen to be beating him with a hammer. Then he was again dragged back into pickup truck and was driven back to Badshahpur village in Sohna. There he was thrashed down again. Before the police tracked them down.
Lukmaan, however did not die unlike the cases that took place in previous years. Sad but there is no shock in saying that there is no arrest been made. The meat has been sent for forensic test.
Not a fresh headline
Such kind of events like cow vigilantism, against a community give rise to the sense of terror. As they are rising day by day and questioning their freedom. In 2019 the dreadful story of Akhlaq, a middle aged family man from Hapur was lynch. As someone suspected that he is been hoarding cow's meat. However, it turned out to be buffalo's meat which he saved from his Qurbaani (sacrificial ceremony). The cases infamously take place during the time of Eid but not necessarily.
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If we go by statistics. In the year 2019, 11 cases of Cow Vigilantism were reported with 18 injured and 8 killed. In June 2020, a man in Karnataka was killed. if we trace back to 2017. At least 20 deaths were reported due to Cow vigilantism across the country and many injured.
According to a Reuters report, a total of 63 cow vigilante attacks had occurred in India between 2010 and mid 2017, mostly since the Modi government came to power in 2014. In these attacks between 2010 and June 2017, "28 Indians – 24 of them Muslims – were killed and 124 injured", states the Reuter's report
Cow slaughter was banned by the country few years back. But violence such as Cow Vigilantism, in the name of suspicion does not provide any kind of right above the laws.
Things are changing, corona is sweeping away millions of life from a single country. People are locked inside their houses with fear, giving advent to a new normal. But there is no sign of new normal for these vigilantes, a terror of their colour prevails without a fail.
Written by Iqra Razi, a Journalism graduate from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Amravati. She writes for Politics, Education and International affairs.
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