Social activists and students from Jawahar Lal Nehru University and Jamia Millia Islamia held massive protest at Bikaner House in New Delhi on 15 November, demanding the resignation of Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhra Raje over the gruesome murder of dairy farmer Umar Khan in Alwar.
Umar Khan was shot dead and his body was thrown on railway track reportedly by cow vigilantes in Bhartapur on November 10 while he was transporting cattle. An FIR also has been filed against Umar by Rajasthan police for ‘smuggling’ cows. Shouting slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rajasthan government, protesters, who were angered by a series of killings in the name of cow protection, were demanding a complete ban on cow vigilantism.
“The lynching of Umar is state terrorism. He was killed, his body was mutilated, then an FIR was filed against him. Media is also reporting the incident relying on the information of the police that he was a cattle smuggler. If he was a smuggler, they must tell whether any case had been filed against him. The Rajasthan police is making a counter-narrative against the hapless victim. The police is trying to shield the culprits. Rajasthan home minister Gulab Chand Katariya says he can’t provide security to each and every person. One of the prime duties of the government is to provide security and justice. If the government fails to do that, it must go,” said Wasiq Nadeem, social activist who was one of the protesters.
There are countless cases of killing and lynching across the country in the name of cow protection. Supreme Court ordered state governments to appoint nodal officers to curb the cow vigilantism. Yet, the BJP governments are giving free hand to those vigilantes. How long the blood of innocents will flow and how long the atrocities will continue?
Human rights activist Apoorvanand Jha, who participated in the protest, said “This is being carried out in an organized and planned manner periodically so as to create social tension since cow is an issue that can always provoke Hindus. Second, an atmosphere of violence is being created in which anyone can commit any atrocity. It is not necessary that the perpetrator is specifically instructed to commit violence but he knows he will go scot free even after committing such violence. That is why, in most of such incidents, cases were filed against the victims themselves. Thus, such incidents will continue to happen. They can only be curbed by removing the present government at the center. There is no permanent solution other than that”.