Gurugram, July 21 : “My son Akbar Khan was a milkman, not a smuggler. He reared two cows with much love and even stayed hungry at times to buy fodder. He would have never thought of dying with such shame,” an inconsolable Suleiman Khan said at their village, Kolgaon in Ferozepur Jhirka tehsil.

He made an emotional appeal to lynch Akbar’s seven children too as “they would soon die of hunger anyway.”  He said Akbar sold milk to earn a living and was off to Alwar to buy cattle. He managed to buy two cows with all the money he had but could not afford a tempo  so chose to walk back. He had called his family before starting back but when he was just 10 km away, he was attacked by a group of cow vigilantes.

“Akbar’s youngest son is two years old and had said ‘Abba’ clearly for the first time a month ago. Akbar was so happy and promised him a grand Eidi on next Eid. We had been saving money and he had gone to Khanpur in Alwar to buy goats for Eid but managed to get a good deal on milch cows. He had spent our entire savings of Rs 60,000 on them. He had called me before leaving and said that we would now have four cows and soon our fate would change. He had promised me new earrings with the profits he expected to make by selling more milk but who knew that today I would be mortgaging my only pair of earrings to bury him. They killed my husband to save two cows but orphaned seven children,” said Akbar’s wife Ashmeena.

Akbar had reportedly gone to buy cattle for the first time with an “experienced” friend Aslam, who managed to escape the mob’s wrath.

“I had asked him to wait till morning but he was too excited after having purchased the new cows. He wanted to be with his family at the earliest. Scared of mob attacks, all tempos refused to ferry us back and we decided to walk assuming that it would be safe. But, a Muslim with a cow is labeled a smuggler. The mob was armed with sticks. I had told Akbar to run for his life but he clung to the cows and kept telling the mob that he was innocent but they thrashed him and made videos,” Aslam said.

Social activist Noordin Noor said: “We had offered to give up all cows to the government and even urged the CM to pass a law banning Muslims from keeping cows and even drinking milk. We are the biggest milk providers in the NCR and have been rearing cows for centuries but some people are out to disrupt communal harmony. They should be ashamed of this behaviour.”

courtesy : tribuneindia.com

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New Delhi (PTI): To love someone is to care for them not just in times of joy, but in their saddest and darkest hours, the Supreme Court on Wednesday said while hailing the parents and siblings of Harish Rana, who is in coma for more than 13 years, for their unwavering support to him.

In its first-ever order allowing passive euthanasia, the top court permitted the withdrawal of artificial life support to 32-year-old Rana noting that prospects of his recovery are negligible.

Passive euthanasia is the intentional act of letting a patient die by withholding or withdrawing life support or the treatment necessary to keep him alive.

Rana, who was a student of Panjab University, suffered head injuries after falling from the fourth floor of his paying guest accommodation in 2013 and has been in a coma since.

A bench of justices J B Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan, which allowed the plea filed by Rana through his father Ashok Rana, said throughout the adjudication of this matter, it has been gripped by profound sadness.

"The issues in this matter have once again brought to the fore the fragility and transient nature of the life we live, and how swiftly the tide can turn for the worse. For the past thirteen years, the applicant has lived a life defined by pain and suffering. A suffering made all the more cruel by the fact that, unlike most of us, he was stripped of the ability to even give voice to his anguish.

"However, while this case highlights how unforgiving life can be, it is easy to lose sight of another vital fact. We note with immense respect that the applicant's parents and siblings have stood as unyielding pillars of support. They have exhausted every effort to care for him and continue to do so with unwavering dedication. We can only place on record our deepest appreciation for their boundless love, endurance, and kindness in the face of such adversity," the bench said.

The top court said among the manifold truths about human existence that this case reveals, the most enduring is the resilience of love.

"In our considered opinion, the greatest tragedy in life is not death, but abandonment. Despite the catastrophic tragedy that struck the applicant, his family never left his side. He has been cared for, protected, and cherished at every moment. To us, this unwavering vigil is a testament to the true meaning of love.

"To love someone is to care for them not just in times of joy, but in their saddest and darkest hours. It is to care for them even when the horizon is devoid of hope. It is to stand by them as they prepare to cross the threshold into the beyond. Ultimately, to love is nothing but to care deeply, softly, and endlessly," the bench said.

Observing that its decision does not neatly fit "within logic and reason" but between "love, loss, medicine and mercy", the bench said its order is not about choosing death, but is rather one of not artificially prolonging life.

"It is the decision to withdraw life sustaining treatment when that treatment no longer heals, restores, or meaningfully improves life. It is allowing nature to take its course when medicine can only delay the inevitable because survival is not always the same as living.

"To Harish's family, we want to acknowledge the deep emotional weight this decision carries. This decision can feel like an act of surrender, but we believe it is, in truth, an act of profound compassion and courage. You are not giving up on your son. You are allowing him to leave with dignity. It reflects the depth of your selfless love and devotion towards him," the bench said.