Frontline – August 02, 2019

COMMUNALISM

IN April2017,five dairyfarmers
fromMewatin Haryanawereset
upon by cattle vigilantes on the
Jaipur-Delhi highwayat Behrorin
Alwardistricton thepretextthat
theywere transporting cattle for
slaughter.Theassault wasvideo-
graphed by someonein thecrowd.
Oneof the farmers,Pehlu Khan, died
following theassault( “Vigilanteon
the prowl,Frontline, May12, 2017).
Thiswasthesecond caseof lynch-
mobjusticeafterthe 2015 incident
involvinga 52-year-oldMohammed
Akhlaq, whowasbeaten to deathin
Dadridistrictin UttarPradeshon
suspicionof cowslaughter.National
outrage erupted, layingthe blameon
theBharatiya JanataParty (BJP)
governmentat theCentrefor creat-
ing the polarisedatmosphereandfor
givingvigilantismin thenameof
protectingthe cowa freerein.Many
suchincidentsinvolvingassaultand
murderby self-styled gaurakshaks,
or cow vigilantes, have occurred
since then, mostly in BJP-ruled
States.
As newsof the lynchingof Pehlu
Khanspread,thepolicefiledcases
againsttheaccused, someof whom
theynabbed withthehelpof the
videosavailable.Theyalsoslapped
casesagainstPehluKhanandhis
sonsof illegallytransportingcattle
for saleoutsidetheState, a charge
thatthe familyhasdenied.
PehluKhanwasa resident of
Jaisinghpurvillagein Nuhdistrictin
Haryana,andlikeanyother farmer
anddairyowner,he bredlivestock

for milchpurposes.PehluKhansuc-

cumbedto his injuriesin hospital.In

his dying declarationto the police,he

namedsix personsas having taken

partin theattack. TheStatepolice

did notfind anyevidenceof this,and

all of themweregivena “cleanchit”.

Anotherdairyfarmer, AzmatKhan,

sufferedinjuriesto hisheadand

limbs,treatmentfor whichcontin-

uedlongaftertheincident. Thepo-

licefiledcasesagainstPehlu Khan

andhis sonson thebasisof allega-

tionsmadeby the attackers.

PehluKhan’ssonshadexplained

to thepolice, justas theyhadex-

plainedto theirattackers,thatthey

hadlegitimatepapersforthepur-

chaseof thefouranimalsfroma

cattlefairin Jaipur.Livestock own-

ers in Stateswhere agricultureand

animalhusbandryarepredominant

occupationsmake frequentvisitsto

suchcattlefairswherethesaleand

purchase of livestock is freely

transacted.

ACOMMUNITYUNDERSTRESS

Hismurderdrewtheire of farmer

organisationssuchas theAll India

KisanSabha (AIKS),whichraised

the issueof the lynchingvociferously

as it felt thatthe agrariancommunity

wasalreadyunderseverestressand

Victim as accused

PEHLUKHANat a privatehospitalimmediatelyafter theincident.

A magisterialcourtin Rajasthan takescognisance of theStatepolice’s

chargesheetof December 2018 that namestheHaryanadairyfarmer

PehluKhan,whowaslynchedin 2017by cowvigilantesat Behrorin

Alwardistrict,as an accusedin thecase. BYT.K.RAJALAKSHMI