Maldharis allege police inaction in illegal slaughter

AHMEDABAD: Cow theft and illegal slaughter has got the cops worried. The heat generated by this problem has prompted the Gujarat police to start mulling ways to tackle it.
The rampant illegal cow slaughter has now become a bone of contention between the state police officials and Rabari, Bharwad community members generally known as 'Maldharis.' While police blame some of the cow owners for fuelling cattle theft, Maldharis have maintained that the cops are helping unscrupulous butchers who illegally slaughter cows by booking them under weaker sections of Indian Penal Code which allows the thieves to get bail quickly.
The latest case of cattle theft was reported on late Thursday night when four cows and two calves loaded in a truck were rescued by Gau Palak Raksha Samiti members near Adalaj cross roads.
Rabari community members allege that at least two to three incidents of cow theft take place in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar daily. "Some of the cases are not even registered by police. In such cases community members have to take necessary action," said a member of the Rabari community.
"We have to keep constant vigil on the animals to keep poachers at bay. In the last two weeks, at least 40 cases of cow theft and illegal slaughter were reported from various parts of the city. Recently, members of the Rabari community had tipped off Adalaj police about a poaching case. Only after this the police had sprung into action," said Teja Rabari, a Rabari leader who is spearheading campaign to save cows.
Rabari told TOI that the campaign is the last resort taken by the community. "Over a period of three years, we have formed many delegations and met many officials including the Gujarat chief minister. However, nothing has been done on ground so far. We had asked the police to track the animal poachers by hunting down vehicles used for theft and the slaughterhouses. However, due to lenient application of laws, the poachers go scot-free. As per the government records, only 156 persons so far have been sent under PASA for repeated offences of this nature," said Rabari.
He said that the agitation will continue against the government "till they assure us of a feasible solution." "Land worth crores is given to the industries, but nothing has been done to save the grazing fields for livestock. The state government can learn a thing or two from Maharashtra where they have formed animal zones," said Nagji Desai, a community leader.