After Prime Minister Narendra Modi reprimanded “self-styled” cow vigilante groups and ask people to beware of “fake” cow protectors, Haryana Government is now mulling to issue ID cards to the genuine groups working for cow protection in the State.
Barely two days after PM Modi urged action against criminals donning garb of cow vigilantes, the Manohar lal Khattar Government in Haryana has initiated the process of police verification of gau rakshak outfits, active in the State.
Haryana Police Department is compiling information regarding gau rakshaks in the State following directions from Haryana Gau Sewa Aayog.
“The Police Department has been asked to compile information regarding cow vigilantes groups in the State. Police verification of these groups would be conducted. As many “fake” gau rakshak groups are active in the State, we are considering issuing identity cards to the genuine cow protectors in the State,” said Bhani Ram Mangla, chairman of Haryana Gau Sewa Aayog while talking to The Pioneer.
He said that district wise lists of cow vigilantes groups would be prepared and police verification would be conducted to identify “fake” cow protectors. At present, I have information about three genuine gau rakshak outfits, which are working in Haryana, he said.
Notably, Acharya Yogendra Arya, who is a member of Haryana Gau Sewa Aayog, also heads gau rakshak dal in the State.
Acharya Yogendra told The Pioneer, more than 5,000 members are associated with the gau rakshak dal and they work with the Police Department for cow protection.
Referring to Prime Minister’s statement on cow vigilantes groups, Yogendra said that we support strict action against the anti-social elements, donning garb of cow protectors.
Yogendra claimed that many fake gau rakshak outfits are working in Haryana and the Police Department is now identifying such groups.
Cow slaughter and smuggling is a sensitive issue across Haryana, as the animal is held in high respect and locals have formed several gau rakshak dals to keep a vigil on those involved in the crime.
Recently, a video had surfaced in which a Muslim youth was beaten up by three persons in Sohna for allegedly trying to smuggle beef in Mewat. In another video that went viral, gau rakshaks were seen forcibly feeding cow dung to two alleged beef smugglers in Faridabad.
In the past, numerous incidents of vehicles being set on fire over suspicions that cows were being transported to slaughterhouses in them have been reported from the State.
Breaking his silence on the heated debate around the atrocities on Dalits in the name of cow protection, Prime Minister Modi had recently said that he was outraged at such “self-styled” cow vigilante groups who pretended to be cow protectors in the day only to hide the anti-social activities they indulged in during the night.
IPS officer Bharti Arora, who has been appointed by Haryana Government to supervise the functioning of teams constituted across the State to check slaughter and smuggling of cows, said that we have written to the Deputy Commissioners and SPs to identify “fake” cow protectors and take strict action against such groups in the State.
When asked about cases registered against “self-styled” cow vigilante groups in the State, Arora said that one case was registered in Kurukshetra against gau rakshaks recently.
As many as 307 cases have been registered between January 1 and April 30 this year under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal Act, 1960 in the State. During this period, 191 cows have been rescued and 446 people have been arrested in the State, as per the Government officials.
The State Government has set up gau rakshak task force to strictly enforce the Haryana Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan Act, 2015. The Act which came into force last year provides for a rigorous imprisonment ranging from three years to 10 years for cow slaughter. It also provides for a fine from Rs30,000 to Rs1 lakh.
Bhani Ram Mangla, chairman of Haryana Gau Sewa Aayog said, “The State Government has already set up a 15-member task force in all districts for protection of cows. Each task force comprises an inspector, two sub-inspectors, an assistant sub-inspector and 12 constables.”
Many cases of cow smuggling have been registered in Yamunanagar, Panipat, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Gurgaon and Rewari districts, he said.
Soon, a toll free number would be launched in the State where people can inform about the incidents of cow smuggling and slaughter. Earlier, a 24-hour helpline was launched, which has been shut down, Mangla added.
Haryana Gau Seva Aayog has also proposed to impose ‘cow cess’ on movie tickets and donation of Rs2,100 be given for gau seva for the functions organised in banquet halls of the State.
last year, senior Haryana Minister Anil Vij had pitched for declaring cow as the national animal and had also launched an online poll on the issue.