In a country where the cow is seen and revered as a sacred being, it is shameful that hundreds if not thousands of people are still involved in cases of cow smuggling. Every month hundreds of cases come to light when people are caught stealing or smuggling cows. The smugglers very well know that the majority of the people would not part with their livestock if they knew it was going to be slaughtered. They resort to stealing and smuggling them across villages, towns and even states. A plot to carry out the same was underway in Meerut on Sunday when a police team thwarted the attempts of the smugglers. What surprised them though was how the smugglers had disguised themselves as Hindus to slip away from the clutches of police and cow vigilantes. The two smugglers Salim and Mobin, were sporting a tilak and had sacred saffron threads on them when they were stopped by the police team on Gadina road. The two smugglers were going towards Radhna village with the cows and had sported symbols of the Hindu religion to escape questioning.
The police team however was not fooled by their disguise and no sooner had they stopped the two men, they confessed to their crime. The cows were stolen and were being transported for slaughter. The mainstream media raises a hue and cry every time a case of violence between cow vigilantes and smugglers arise but they choose to seal their mouth every time a smuggler gets caught. While nobody can or should justify lynching or beating up a human or taking the law in their own hands it is nonetheless important for people to keep an eye out for smugglers and their activities. The Meerut police team was not surprised by the findings in this case as it has reportedly become common for the cow smugglers to fake their identity in order to evade law and vigilante groups. Their activities are on the rise and they are always on the lookout to find out more ways to carry out smuggling.
In states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal there are more and more reported incidents of cow smuggling. Public vigilantism has uncovered the extent of this crime which had been ongoing for decades, the government should indeed take some strict steps to curb this trade. The farmers suffer the most because of these smugglers as they lose their livestock on which they depend for their daily bread and butter. The sentiment of crores of people too takes a major hit every time a sacred animal is slaughtered. The minority religions should for once take into consideration the sentiments of the majority religion and should decide on their own to stop this activity. It would work better than any appeal, rule or interference of law in stopping the smuggling and slaughter of the cows in India. A beautiful message of harmony and brotherhood for the majority Hindu population will also boost the image of India and Indians irrespective of their religion and culture to the rest of the world.
