State sponsored lynch mobs
While PM Modi is still recovering from the hug of love by Rahul Gandhi, fake Gau Rakshaks have murdered an innocent farmer in Alwar, Rajasthan. This gruesome incident has occurred just a week after Supreme Court’s concern about such cases being on the rise, like a fresh challenge to the law and order system.
The family of the murdered guy has said he was a cattle rearer and not a cattle trader. We don’t know whether the ones who killed him ever reared cattle in their homes, but the fellow who was done to death was surely someone who reared cattle at his house. And with great effort, the home minister, and the CM of Rajasthan have somewhat condemned the incident.
The police seem to have been forced to pretend to register a case, and have somehow managed to arrest a few people. But last year, when an old man called Pehlu Khan was killed at the hands of Sangh Parivar goondas, the police had failed in bringing the culprits to book. And they also ensured the dying declaration of Pehlu Khan was documented in a twisted manner and the killers got away without undergoing any punishment. The family that was dependent on dairy farming, has now moved away from their occupation.
Many muslims in the Alwar region are engaged in dairy farming. They are the true Gau Rakshaks in the spirit of the word. But today, they face threats owing to the dangerous rise of fake Gau Rakshaks. Today, the same incident has repeated in Alwar and even in this, rumours indicate the big role played by the police. The old man is said to have died by the blows rained on him by the police, in order to save the Sangh Parivar goons who attacked him, assaulted him and brought him to the police. The assault then has continued in the police station too and the old man was taken to the hospital after that.
According to some sources, the miscreants assaulted the aged man right before the police. But now with political pressure, the police are forced to arrest the fake Gau Rakshaks. As per the NDTV report, the cops didn’t show much interest in taking him to the hospital. They had even stopped for tea enroute to the hospital.
Not just that, they even took the cattle to where they belonged earlier, left them there and then proceeded to take the assaulted person to the hospital. This shows how serious they were about saving the man’s life, and this murder can be called a joint operation between the cops and the fake Gau Rakshaks. With this being the case, who would the Supreme Court indicate that the state acts against to contain such incidents? These Gau Rakshaks weren’t born out of nowhere. They are the destructive force that the politics of this time have been breeding. And the state is even sponsoring this violence by protecting them! The illegal nexus between the fake Gau Rakshaks, police, state and central government is what creates a perfect ecosphere for the violent mobs to work their way through.
To contain this, the fake Gau Rakshaks and the power they enjoy, needs to be completely eradicated from the legal system of the state. How can they even be punished when the central government stands to protect them? Just a few months ago, a similar incident was played out in Udupi, just as it happened in Alwar. An old man, Husenabba was dumped into a tribal settlement by none other than the police themselves. They later pretended to find the body and claim he died of ‘heart attack’. But owing to a few honest officers in the department, the truth came to light and it was found that the police were part of this ‘murder’.
Despite the caution sounded by the Supreme Court, the goons in the garb of Sangh are showing all signs of taking to streets with their violent ways in Dakshina Kannada. With Lok Sabha polls fast approaching, it is imperative that they start their violent ways to polarize, create unrest and divide the Hindu and Muslim votes. A head of Vishwa Hindu Parishat, Jagadish Shenava is preparing to set up ‘Gau Raksha Dal’ in the area. And the police are yet to act on this.
His plan is to set up a ten-member Gau Raksha Dal in every village of the district. Their duty is to ‘watch’ their surroundings since cases of cattle stealing are on the rise, he claims. Who complained to him about such cases? How many complaints have been registered on this ‘increase’ in cases of stealing? He does not have details on this, but he and his rowdy gangs would want to safeguard the cattle in the district. Their main agenda, however, is to create problems for the farmers who rear cattle in their homes, and stop them from selling their cattle that they deem fit for selling.
They would want to usurp such cattle for themselves and sell them illegally to slaughter houses. By setting up Gau Raksha units, the ‘protectors’ of cows would extort the farmers who rear them, and blackmail them into parting with the cattle and sell them through their groups to slaughterhouses. Along with this, they would want to kill Muslims engaged in this trade to create tense situations, and extort money from people in Karavali. This is the method of ‘Gau Raksha’ as envisaged by Shenava and his group members.
The police needs to act swiftly and ensure Shevana does not get too far with his plan, at least in keeping with the direction issued by the Supreme Court. The fake Gau Rakshaks are attacking the core business of dairy farming and are lending serious damage to the business. Farmers will soon move away from this livelihood earning method. Hence, to ensure the cattle are cared for, fake Gau Rakshaks have to be put behind bars.
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Mamata visits Bhabanipur EVM strong room, warns against counting irregularities
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee early Friday warned against any attempt to tamper with the counting process, hours after she visited an EVM strong room in Bhabanipur, alleging possible malpractice.
Banerjee, who emerged around 12:07 am after spending nearly four hours at the counting centre for her Bhabanipur constituency housed in Sakhawat Memorial School in south Kolkata, said only one person would be allowed inside the designated counting area.
"Either the candidate or one agent can stay upstairs. I have also suggested installation of a CCTV camera for the media," she told reporters.
Stressing the need for transparency, she said, "It is essential to maintain transparency. People’s votes must be protected. I rushed here after receiving complaints. The central forces initially did not allow me to enter."
Sounding a stern note ahead of the May 4 counting, she added, "If there is any plan to tamper with the counting process, it will not be tolerated."
On Thursday evening, Banerjee had reached the Bhabanipur Assembly segment counting centre, which houses the strong room for EVMs used in the April 29 polling, citing suspicion of tampering with the machines.
She entered the premises along with her election agent and remained inside for hours, even as Kolkata Mayor and TMC candidate from the Kolkata Port segment Firhad Hakim reached the spot but could not meet her.
"I reached here upon learning that the chief minister has arrived. But I couldn’t meet her since she was already inside the premises, exercising her right as a candidate to visit strong rooms. I wasn’t allowed there. I will not be able to confirm what exactly is transpiring inside," Hakim said.
The development coincided with protests by TMC candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra in north Kolkata, where they staged a sit-in alleging irregularities and possible tampering of EVMs stored in strong rooms, leading to face-offs between TMC and BJP supporters.
Earlier in a video message, Banerjee had urged party leaders, workers and polling agents to maintain a 24-hour vigil on EVM strong rooms, alleging that the BJP could attempt to tamper with the machines before counting begins.
Her remarks come amid heightened political tension in the state following a fiercely contested Assembly election, with parties closely monitoring arrangements and raising concerns over transparency.
