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In name of the cow, 150 carcasses rot: The Indian Express
Viramgam, Aug 30: On the face of it, this shouldn`t be a story: massive flooding leads to death of 150 cows. Carcass-disposal contractor is called in, goes about his work.
Viramgam, Aug 30: On the face of it, this shouldn’t be a story: massive flooding leads to death of 150 cows. Carcass-disposal contractor is called in, goes about his work.
But in Gujarat, this is reason enough for arson and violence; BJP activists allege cow slaughter, the contractor is in jail, the police say he’s innocent but they had no choice.
And the carcasses are rotting.
The story begins in Viramgam, 150 km west of Ahmedabad, on Wednesday. Abdullah Sheikh, a carcass-disposal contractor, brought 35 carcasses here from Wadhwan, in north Gujarat, where he also had a disposal contract, unloaded them by the highway and was skinning them.
Suddenly, all hell broke loose and scenes reminiscent of Jhajjar in Haryana, where five dalits had been lynched last year, were enacted.
Some youths raised an alarm that cows were being slaughtered, and, though he showed them receipts from the Wadhwan cattle pound saying the cows had died a natural death and that he was authorised to dispose of them, the damage was done.
With Jains observing their holy month of ‘Paryushan’, matters took a turn for the worse. Local BJP MLA Vajubhai Dodiya called the police and local officials and asked them to arrest Sheikh.
Meanwhile, several BJP activists, including Dodiya’s nephew Nathubhai Dodiya, allegedly went around town forcing shops owners to down their shutters. Violence followed: some shops owned by both Muslims and Hindus were set on fire.
Sheikh’s only mistake was that he was not skinning the cows at the plot earmarked for the purpose, and he admits as much. ‘‘After Sunday’s rain, there was neck-deep water in the allotted plot. I looked around for a place, and for miles around the town couldn’t find one. I finally found a plot by the highway and started getting them skinned. This was my mistake,’’ he says.
The MLA and other officials brought police and insisted on his arrest, he says. ‘‘I showed them my papers. I called up the panjrapole manager and had him speak to the police and others. Then I said that if my arrest would bring peace to the town, I was willing to go with them,’’ he says.
The police admit the violence could have been avoided. ‘‘The issue was blown out of proportion and violence erupted,’’ said Inspector P.S. Patel, in charge of the Viramgam Town Police Station. ‘‘There was no case against Sheikh. He had the receipts for carcasses and they were in order. His only mistake was skinning them by the highway. However, under public pressure we detained Sheikh for causing public nuisance.’’
Sources in police said that the MLA and other BJP workers had worsened things by sitting at the police station till midnight and insisting that Sheikh be arrested. They had also insisted on the release of some Hindus arrested for setting shops on fire.
Dodia, who was arrested last year for rioting, told The Indian Express on Friday that it was a misunderstanding, ‘‘but Sheikh should not have disposed of the carcasses there. The sight hurt the sentiments of people and there was violence.’’
He says he tried to stop the violence, and alleges that police were partial and had ‘‘arrested innocent Hindus.’’
‘‘It happened today, it might happen again tomorrow. I don’t want another riot in my home town,’’ he says. Till now, only Panjrapol manager Yeshwant Mehta has agreed to issue such a clarification. The carcasses, meanwhile, are rotting.
And the carcasses are rotting.
The story begins in Viramgam, 150 km west of Ahmedabad, on Wednesday. Abdullah Sheikh, a carcass-disposal contractor, brought 35 carcasses here from Wadhwan, in north Gujarat, where he also had a disposal contract, unloaded them by the highway and was skinning them.
Suddenly, all hell broke loose and scenes reminiscent of Jhajjar in Haryana, where five dalits had been lynched last year, were enacted.
Some youths raised an alarm that cows were being slaughtered, and, though he showed them receipts from the Wadhwan cattle pound saying the cows had died a natural death and that he was authorised to dispose of them, the damage was done.
With Jains observing their holy month of ‘Paryushan’, matters took a turn for the worse. Local BJP MLA Vajubhai Dodiya called the police and local officials and asked them to arrest Sheikh.
Meanwhile, several BJP activists, including Dodiya’s nephew Nathubhai Dodiya, allegedly went around town forcing shops owners to down their shutters. Violence followed: some shops owned by both Muslims and Hindus were set on fire.
Sheikh’s only mistake was that he was not skinning the cows at the plot earmarked for the purpose, and he admits as much. ‘‘After Sunday’s rain, there was neck-deep water in the allotted plot. I looked around for a place, and for miles around the town couldn’t find one. I finally found a plot by the highway and started getting them skinned. This was my mistake,’’ he says.
The MLA and other officials brought police and insisted on his arrest, he says. ‘‘I showed them my papers. I called up the panjrapole manager and had him speak to the police and others. Then I said that if my arrest would bring peace to the town, I was willing to go with them,’’ he says.
The police admit the violence could have been avoided. ‘‘The issue was blown out of proportion and violence erupted,’’ said Inspector P.S. Patel, in charge of the Viramgam Town Police Station. ‘‘There was no case against Sheikh. He had the receipts for carcasses and they were in order. His only mistake was skinning them by the highway. However, under public pressure we detained Sheikh for causing public nuisance.’’
Sources in police said that the MLA and other BJP workers had worsened things by sitting at the police station till midnight and insisting that Sheikh be arrested. They had also insisted on the release of some Hindus arrested for setting shops on fire.
Dodia, who was arrested last year for rioting, told The Indian Express on Friday that it was a misunderstanding, ‘‘but Sheikh should not have disposed of the carcasses there. The sight hurt the sentiments of people and there was violence.’’
He says he tried to stop the violence, and alleges that police were partial and had ‘‘arrested innocent Hindus.’’
‘‘It happened today, it might happen again tomorrow. I don’t want another riot in my home town,’’ he says. Till now, only Panjrapol manager Yeshwant Mehta has agreed to issue such a clarification. The carcasses, meanwhile, are rotting.