In a meeting of top gau rakshaks on Sunday, a member of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s (VHP) cow protection department, Khemchand, advised young cow vigilantes to tackle cattle smugglers by beating them up but stopping short of breaking their bones, reports The Times of India.
Speaking to a gathering of top gau rakshaks from western UP, Braj region and Uttarakhand, he said encouraged VHP workers to enlist more non-VHP volunteers for the cause as “cow protection, not ‘Make in India’ will save the country.”
While saying so, Khemchand criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his recent statement slamming fake cow vigilantes, but said that “we shouldn’t take law into our hands.”
He added that they should spread the cause of cow protection so that “no cattle smuggler would dare” to carry out illegal trade of the animal.
Last year, a video of Bajrang Dal member Vivek Premi flogging a Muslim man for alleged cow slaughter as a crowd stood by went viral and brought everyone’s attention towards the hooliganism that was passed off as cow protection. Premi was charged under the National Security Act. Addressing the situation, Khemchand said that there that is no need to “show off like that,” as it just gets you in trouble.
(With inputs from The Times of India.)
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