While giving birth to a calf, a cow endures the same labour pain what a woman undergoes. While a woman communicates her pain verbally, a cow expresses her pain through her body language, restless sounds and groaning. Similarly, herd of cows start experiencing terror as soon as they are violently loaded to trucks. Transportation period is torturous because cows are overcrowded in vehicle. Hence, some cows do not even survive during transportation. Once the cows reach at the slaughterhouse, they are usually kept at adjoining area, where they can easily smell the blood and sometimes even hear the screams of cows, who are slaughtered. Cows may be kept for days in waiting depending upon the size of the slaughterhouse forcing them to smell the blood and hear the screams of cows being slaughtered. Cow slaughter is violent and horrible beyond imagination.
Why are cows smuggled in India to be slaughtered, when cow slaughter is illegal in most Indian states, where there are various laws regulating act of slaughtered cow, prohibiting the slaughter or sale of cows. There is powerful lobby which is working behind cow slaughtering business. Every party in the lobby gets its cut is open secret.
Cow is the foundation of our civilisation. The reason is more scientific than religious, as cows have been backbones of Indian families since the beginning of human civilisation. Agriculture in India in those days could not have succeeded without cow. It is India’s civilisational duty to protect cows. Then, a group of brave men rise to fulfil the civilisational duty to protect cows from going to slaughter houses. They are called cow protectors or Gau Rakshaks. They are young, dashing, highly educated men with promising careers to enjoy their lives, however they risk their lives to protect cows.
On 23 July, 24 years old Karan Sharma got tip-off about a van carrying cows going to slaughter house at Amravati at 4:40 am. Karan Sharma’s Gau Raksha team got ready in no time to chase the mini truck in which the cows were tightly stuffed. The chase was life-threatening as cow smugglers tried every means to harm cow protector or Gau Rakshaks, who were speeding behind the mini truck by their bikes. Meanwhile, one member informed the police, who put up road barricades on time. Cow smugglers tried to break the road barrier to escape, but finally failed.
Gau Rakshaks are lucky if police help them to nab cow smugglers. But, there are times when police turns a deaf ear to request from Gau Rakshaks. It depends upon the ideology of policemen. If a policeman believes cow protection is his call of civilisational duty, he helps Gau Rakshaks. Or the Gau Rakshaks are left all by themselves.
On 24 July, Gau Raksha team members got information about pick up van transporting cows to Amravati-Morshi-Varud road to Madhya Pradesh border. Gau Rakshaks blocked the road with their own vehicles also by gathering locals as police got late to reach at the spot. When cow smugglers couldn’t find a way to escape, the driver hit the divider in an attempt to run away.
Karan Sharma inherited the civilisational call of duty from his father, Vijay Sharma, who is the VIshwa Hindu Parishad Gau Raksha (cow protection) Chief of Vidarbha region in Maharashtra. 52 years old Vijay Sharma leads the team of cow protectors dealing with threats from cow smugglers and complications of police stations. Dedication to save cow is so strong in Vijay Sharma that he doesn’t hesitate to send his only son Karan to chase cow smugglers risking his life. Cow smugglers are not less than dreaded criminals. They can shoot at, they can hit and run. They can throw a live and tied cow towards chasing cow protectors.
Vicky Pandey and Jeetu Kondani, cow protectors from Nagpur, both of them are in late twenties were badly beaten by cow smugglers, while they were chasing them to protect cows. 27 years old Dhanraj Khadalkar from Khapa near Nagpur had almost lost his life while chasing cow smugglers. Do they get any award or reward when they risk their lives to protect cows? No. They have no fear for their lives, no hope to get awards or rewards. They hear the call of duties to protect cows.
If you think Gau Rakshaks are only men, you are mistaken. 25 years old Asha Dave from Nagpur informed the police about cows being inhumanly tied under a shed to be slaughtered. Unfortunately, policemen happened to be corrupt. Policemen unleashed the cows in farms and blamed Nandini in front of villagers for havoc cows created in farms. Finally, Nandini called animal rights activist, and environmentalist Maneka Gandhi for help. When policemen are in collusion with cow smugglers, Gau Rakshaks might be beaten, implicated or killed.
But, Media with agenda call cow protectors as cow vigilante, which gives impression that group of youths who undertake law and enforcement without legal authority. Karan Sharma’s Gau Raksha team at Amravati and Gau Rakshaks Vicky Pandey, Jeetu Kondani and Dhanraj Khadalkar from Nagpur do not undertake law and enforcement, neither they break any law. They protect cows with help of police risking their own lives.
Liberal logic is unproductive cows are burden on farmers, therefore they must be slaughtered, which is an absolute propaganda. Gau Rakshaks not only protect cows from going to slaughter houses, but they rehabilitate them. The protected cows are sent to GAUSHALA like Go Vigyan Anusandhan Kendra, Deolapar, Nagpur, where cow urine and cow dung from unproductive cows are used for medicinal purposes.
Dear PETA, shouldn’t you help Gau Rakshaks, if you are truly concerned to protect cows? Or you are content only to put billboard to save cows?
