Cow Court & Society…

Today I visited Gaushala in Noida after a long time. This Gaushala is in Noida which was set up by some dedicated & passionate individuals engaged in social activities in 2001. I am one of them and led it as its president for two terms of 2 years each apart from serving it in various capacities. It is a registered society. It is fairly large & well-established Gaushala. It has 9 acres of land around 1500 cows with 50 people living & working there. It also has two biogas plants, Solar panels, 12 cow sheds, Staff quarters and a small team of medical staff with basic lab facilities. There are various schemes and programs to attract people & motivate them to contribute. It is not a milk dairy, and most cows are unproductive. It is quite well funded and respected institution in the region. In brief it is taking care of around 1500 cows. This number is also much more than the ideal capacity of the Gaushala. Earlier this used to be the only known Gaushala in the region but in the last few years many more have been set up by the government. With my experience I can say confidently say that managing a Gaushala of this magnitude is an incredibly challenging but fulfilling task.

Why Gaushalas are being set up in cities & towns? In villages Farmers are supposed to rear cows & Oxen for milk and agriculture. Even in Towns individuals can have cows for milk. They are supposed to take care of these cows & Oxen. But we are noticing cows are roaming on roads causing traffic issues. They are even not getting proper food or care. Most of them are sick or injured. Many dies on roads only. Some lucky ones get transported to Gaushalas & hospitals. There is not even proper mechanism to dispose their remains after death. Why people who are supposed to provide care are neglecting them forcing them to stray on roads. It is quite understandable that Oxen are now not being used in agriculture because of mechanization. But what about cows? Milk is still needed.  It is beyond any imagination that it is happening in a country like India which is predominantly Hindu. Cow is considered sacred animal. People call her ‘Gautama.’ Lord Krishna is intimated associated with cows. Hindus worship cows. What has happened to our society? Is it not dichotomy? We must be sympathetic to all animals. They are living beings. They have emotions. Can’t we be little more caring towards them? I always wonder if Gaushala’s are solution of this problem. These are needed but have limited impact.

Being a predominantly Hindu population and religious beliefs Cow slaughter in most states in India is prohibited. Even their transportation is also restricted by law. Most Hindus don’t eat beef, but others do. Many time this becomes cause of communal tension. One can find several incidences related to it in the past. The act prohibiting & restricting Cow slaughter & transportation primarily aims to prevent cruelty against them and to take care of majority Hindu’s religious sentiments. They have varying names with varying provisions. Some states implement them strictly and some not. One such act is in Gujarat. In 2017 amendment was made in it .  It is called “ Gujarat Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act, 2017” . This is probably the harshest law in the country. The new law provides for maximum punishment of up to life imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs five lakh and would encompass slaughter of cows, calves, bulls and bullocks. The bill also bans transportation of animals from one place to another in night. The bill also proposes imprisonment up to 10 years, but not less than seven years, for those found to be involved in transportation, sale and storage of beef. Earlier, the maximum punishment for the same was three years. Other state laws are also primarily on these lines.

Recently there was news item that a sessions court judge in Gujarat's Tapi district has said “that there is a need to protect cows in the country”. He also said  "science has proved houses made of cow dung remain unaffected by atomic radiation."  He mentioned   “ cow urine can cure many incurable diseases” in November last year while sentencing a 22-year-old man to life imprisonment for transporting cows and bullocks from Gujarat to Maharashtra. The order was made available recently. It showed that the judge made several remarks on cows and cow dung and urine which at present are not scientifically proved . The judge in his order expressed displeasure over the slaughtering of cows and noted a cow is "our mother", not just an animal. "All problems of the Earth will be solved the day no drop of cow's blood drops on the earth. Though we talk about cow protection, it is not implemented on the ground. Incidents of cow slaughter and illegal transportation are happening regularly. This is a disgrace to a civilised society," the court noted in the order. The judge said though 75 years have passed since India achieved independence, incidents of cow slaughter are on the rise instead of coming down. He also said "Cow is a symbol of religion. Food grown through cow-based organic farming protects us from many diseases. Science has proved that houses made of cow dung remain unaffected by atomic radiation and cow urine can cure many incurable diseases,".

I do not know the details of the case and I believe Judge must have given verdict as per the provisions of law. But Is it proper for a public officer as learned as a judge to write and make observations in the judgement which are primarily  strong beliefs but still not scientifically proven. Of course detailed studies & research [ mostly government sponsored] is being carried out on such issues. Whatever may the situation our beliefs are beliefs they may be right or wrong. Public officers must not make such statements in official capacity and in official matters without establishing facts.

Why we who worship cow neglect them in real life? What is the use of Oxen (male) in present world? Are these Acts rationale or just to satisfy a particular constituency? Can our policies be dictated by simply beliefs? Why are our successive governments not thinking comprehensively on these issues? Why can’t they act beyond tokensim?  Why Cow is being used for political reasons to exploit Hindu religious sentiments. I still do believe that Gaushalas (Cow shelters) are not the actual solution of this problem. Just a random thought…