Mohan Bhagwat , the chief of the Hindu nationalist organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in India, has said that cows, which are respected by the Hindus should be protected by law and the vigilantes or gau rakshaks who operate within the law play an important role.
“Cow vigilantes perform an important role and it’s important to distinguish between those who protect the cow and others who are self-appointed,” said Bhagwat.
Critics of the BJP and RSS and the opposition parties blame that gau rakshaks inflame tensions between religion and castes in the country. For example, four Dalit men were stripped and tied to a vehicle before being thrashed by men who accused them of killing a cow. They were, in fact, skinning the cow, a demanding and poorly-paid task assigned to the lowest castes.
These kinds of attacks on men accused of cow slaughter drove Prime Minister Narenda Modi to declare in August, “I feel so angry at times. Some people who are engaged in anti-social activities wear the mask of gau rakshaks.”
Cow slaughter is illegal in most of India, but had been tolerated under the Congress party, which claims to protect the rights of Muslims and lower castes who work in the meat and leather trade.
Sourced from agensies, Featured image courtesy: samvada.org
