A 55 year old dairy farmer, who went to a cattle farm to buy a milch buffalo, opted for a milch cow instead, a decision that costed him his life. Pehlu Khan died in Alwar, Rajasthan after being brutally beaten by a group of self-styled 'Gau Rakshaks' who, in their own words, were just “doing their job”.
While on his way back to his village in Mewat, Pehlu's truck was stopped near Alwar by members of the cow protection unit, whose members patrol highways to catch people illegally transporting cows for slaughter. The victim's son Irshad, 24, who was in a separate truck, on National Highway 8, with his brother Aarif, said his father's change of decision “was the worst decision ever.” He gave graphic details of how the gau rakshaks dragged them out of their vehicles, beat them unconscious with belts and sticks, and accused them of smuggling cattle 'despite being repeatedly warned'. The victims' voices of reason trying to prove their innocence fell on deaf ears.
Matter became worse, when instead of cracking down on such self-proclaimed vigilante groups, Rajasthan police registered an FIR against the victim's family for illegally transporting cattle for slaughter. Jaisinghpur's biggest dairy farmer, Zakir Khan even confirmed that Pehlu was a dairy farmer and his family has been supplying him milk for the last four years.
While Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje remained suspiciously silent about the whole incident, Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria chose to pick a side, with a statement saying, “Both parties are to blame and action would be taken against all involved. Now, some cow protection squads try to stop these people as per law. But taking law into their own hands is not allowed.”
“Stopping them, is not a sin,” Kataria said, making his stand abundantly clear.
