VHP volunteers during the protest, inset- truck in which cattle were transported
Thousands of volunteers of Vishva Hindu Parishad and its youth wing Bajrang Dal accompanied by a few revered religious Gurus hit the streets in Chhattisgarh’s capital Raipur on Wednesday, June 26 demanding immediate release of the Gau Rakshaks (Cow protectors) and strict action against the cow smugglers.
The demonstrators who have arrived in the capital from separate parts of the State to participate in the ‘Jail Bharo Aandolan’ demanded strict implementation of the law about the prohibition of cow slaughtering/smuggling alleging that the state has become a hotbed of cow smuggling.
The campaign was called in protest of an arrest made by the Chhattisgarh police in connection with a case linked to alleged assault on three men of Uttar Pradesh in Arang, around 35 kilometers from the State’s capital on June 7 when they were reportedly transporting cattle including cow progenies (Gau Vansh).
Those who have arrived in the capital city to protest against the arrest were seen sloganeering while holding placards reading “Gau Rakshko Ko Riha Karo” (Release the cow protectors), “Chhattisgarh Bana Gau Taskaro Ka Garh” (Chhattisgarh has become a hub of cow smugglers).
Later when the protest picked up momentum, thousands of volunteers of VHP and Bajrang Dal reached the City Kotwali police station and surrendered before the police symbolically to mark their protest against nabbing of all those arrested in connection with the case.
“Today 2650 workers of VHP and Bajrang Dal surrendered themselves under the Jail Bharo Andolan in protest against the one sided and conspiratorial action of Chhattisgarh police in the cow smuggling case,” said Bajrang Dal in an official statement released on Wednesday evening.
Interacting with the media during the agitation, Ghanshyam Chaudhary, Prant Sah-Mantri of VHP’s Chhattisgarh unit said that “protecting the cows is duty of the Hindu society, it’s also a fundamental right of ours. It doesn’t matter whose government is in the state, the state has a complete ban on cow smuggling so the onus of protecting the cows lies on the government”.
However rampant cow smuggling is going on in the State, in the latest episode in the city that has triggered this protest the Gau Rakshaks were only trying to stop the ongoing cow smuggling. We don’t know why the smugglers opted to jump in the river but Gau Rakshaks were arrested and have been charged under serious sections in the case subsequently, he added.
He further said that the cow smugglers have been made innocent while Gau Rakshaks have been arrested and put behind bars. We demand that a fair investigation in the case should be done, the cow smugglers should be exposed and the Gau Rakshaks should be released immediately.
It seems that the government itself willing to continue the smuggling of cows and is standing behind the smugglers, hence the people of Hindu society have gathered to express that we are all Gau Rakshaks and if those four people can be arrested then we are also offering our arrests added Chaudhary while alleging that a total of 22 cows were inside the truck that was seized and four of them were found to be dead.
Allegation of assault and lynching
The case pertains to alleged assault on three men identified as Chand Miyan, Guddu Khan and Saddam Khan in Arang when the trio were heading towards Orissa in a truck full of cattle.
It has been alleged that the cattle transporters were stopped and assaulted by a group of youths near a bridge on Mahanadi river following which the attackers threw them from the height. One of the youth died instantly on the spot while two others were later admitted to the hospital by the police.
One of the two youths admitted to the hospital succumbed to his injuries on the same day while Saddam also succumbed to his injuries on June 18. The incident triggered protest from the members of the Muslim community and family members of the deceased who while terming it a case of mob lynching demanded immediate arrest of the accused.
Bajrang Dal refutes allegations demand fair probe into the matter
However contrary to the claims made by the family members of the deceased, the Hindu outfits have maintained that the trio jumped from the bridge out of fear leading to fatal injuries as the river was dried up largely.
According to an official statement issued by Bajrang Dal, cow smugglers were cruelly transporting cattle including cows in a vehicle near the Arang bridge on June 7. Upon receiving the information, the Gau Rakshaks immediately informed the same to police and an attempt was made along with the police to stop the vehicle.
“As soon as the volunteers and police started chasing the vehicle it suffered a tyre burst following which the trio jumped to the river fearing police as four of the cattle in the truck were already dead. There was no water in the river at that time so all the three cow smugglers sustained injuries after the jump, the volunteers along with the police then lifted them up after which they were admitted to hospital, reads the statement further.
It further alleged that the police in order to hide its failure and collusion with the smugglers is trying to implicate cow devotees so that the cow smuggling business can continue unhindered in Chhattisgarh.
Notably, the police as of now have arrested as many as four individuals from separate locations in connection with the case who have been identified as Mayank Sharma, Navin Singh Thakur, Raja Agarwal and Harsh Mishra.
The arrest of the individuals has now triggered an outrage in the Hindu outfits who assembled in the State’s capital on Wednesday and attempted a ‘Gheraw’ of the City Kotwali police station.
The protest ended around midnight after officials of the police reportedly gave verbal assurance to the protestors on considering their demands including prompt action against cow smuggling, a fair inquiry into the case along reviewing of the provisions under which the Hindu activists have been arrested.
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