Una Again: Gau Rakshaks Carry Out Fresh Attacks in Andhra, UP
The two men from the Madiga community were skinning the cow, when members of gau raksha dal beat them up.
In a fresh incident of cow vigilantism, Bajrang Dal activists allegedly thrashed four people on suspicion of being “cow thieves” near Jiroli village on the outskirts of Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh.
The incident occurred when gau rakshaks led by Bajrang Dal district president Kedar Singh tried to intercept a Matador carrying a buffalo but the driver refused to stop, police said.
The activists raised an alarm and a road block was laid by other members of the group at a short distance ahead. Seeing the road block, the four persons who were in the Matador jumped out and tried to escape, they added.
However, they were nabbed and beaten up by the crowd which had gathered on the spot before being handed over to the police along with their vehicle.
Similar Incident of Cow Vigilantism in Andhra Pradesh
Earlier in the day, two Dalit men were brutally beaten up by cow vigilantes in a village in Andhra Pradesh, on Tuesday. The two men were identified as Mokati Elisha and Lazer, of the Madiga community. Cow vigilantes suspected that they had killed the animal they were skinning.
The two were admitted to a hospital in Amalapuram for treatment and Elisha’s condition was said to be serious.
The two men were skinning the cow when members of gau raksha dal accused them of killing the animal and beat them up.
Police have arrested two villagers, while a search is on for a few others who are absconding.
Modi Slams Cow Vigilantism
This attack happened only a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the gau rakshaks who he said “turned criminal by night”.
After Modi’s statement against cow vigilantism, ultra right-wing group Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) warned Modi about the consequences of his statement.
Una Violence
Only a month ago, four young Dalit men were thrashed in front of a crowd in Una, Gujarat by self-styled cow vigilantes, for doing their job of skinning a dead cow.
Following the brutal assault, Dalits dumped cow carcasses in government offices on Tuesday, asking ‘Gau Rakshak’ groups to dispose of the dead cows – a traditionally Dalit occupation.
The incident caused an uproar in both Houses of the Parliament and elicited a much awaited response from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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