Amnesty urges action against cow vigilante groups, warns of rising violence
Rights body says intimidation and attacks cannot be justified under law
Srinagar, July 1, KNT: Amnesty International India has called on state governments across the country to investigate and prosecute members of so called cow protection groups who intimidate, harass or attack people in the name of enforcing the law.
In a statement issued on Friday, Amnesty referred to an incident on June 10 near Faridabad in Haryana, where members of a local ‘gau rakshak’ group allegedly forced two men, suspected of transporting beef, to consume a concoction containing cow dung and cow urine. A video of the incident, which circulated on social media, reportedly also showed the men being assaulted.
Amnesty said that while the state police arrested the two men, no action was taken against members of the cow protection group involved in the incident. Cow slaughter is banned in Haryana and several other Indian states.
The rights organisation also cited remarks attributed to Haryana’s Education Minister, who appeared to defend the violence by stating that youths were coming forward for cow protection and that the law had changed mindsets and increased reverence for the animal.
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According to Amnesty, the head of the cow protection group told the organisation that the men were made to consume the concoction to “purify” them before being handed over to the police, claiming the group was assisting the state in punishing offenders.
Abhirr V P, Campaigner at Amnesty International India, said cow vigilante groups appear to be increasing violent attacks against suspected cattle traders. He said it is the duty of the state, not vigilante groups, to enforce the law, and that silence or encouragement from public officials only emboldens such groups.
The statement also recalled earlier incidents of mob violence linked to beef related allegations, including the killing of Mohammed Akhlaq in Dadri, Uttar Pradesh in September 2015, the killing of a young man in Himachal Pradesh in October 2015, and the recovery of bodies of two cattle traders in Jharkhand in March 2016.
Amnesty said many of those targeted by cow vigilante groups are Muslim men and stressed that anti cow killing laws must not be used to justify attacks on religious minorities. Such acts, the organisation said, are criminal in nature and must be treated accordingly. [KNT]
