The spot where the gau rakshaks intercepted two trucks carrying cows and beat up the occupants. (Photo: Hamza Khan) The spot where the gau rakshaks intercepted two trucks carrying cows and beat up the occupants. (Photo: Hamza Khan)

The Alwar district administration on Thursday stopped Meo Muslims of Alwar from surrendering their cows to the district administration following the community’s claims that they were feeling unsafe after Pehlu Khan’s lynching by cow vigilantes in Alwar’s Behror. Khan also belonged to the Meo community.

Claiming that they were feeling unsafe under the prevailing circumstances as they rear cows, the Meo Muslims of Alwar led by the head of Meo Panchayat, Sher Mohammad, had announced that they will start surrendering their cows on a daily basis to the district administration, beginning Thursday.

“I have eight cows and at any given time, not all of them are milch. So I fear someone may attack me and claim that I had kept the cow for slaughter and people will readily believe him. So I had announced that I will surrender my cows to the district administration, and other members of the community will also surrender their cows daily,” Mohammad said.

However, early on Thursday morning, the Station House Officer of NEB police station served Mohammad a notice. “Please specify whether you have taken permission from the District Collector for the said rally (to surrender cows). If yes, please present the permit, else, your actions will be unlawful and legal action will be taken against the rally,” the notice said.

“Policemen gheraoed my house and prevented me from taking out my cows. They said the District Collector is ready to meet us and we had no option but to agree,” Mohammad said. “Our main concern is who gave the gau rakshaks the right to stop vehicles and extort the passengers? And if they find vehicles transporting cows or buffaloes, then they spare no chance to take away their money and lynch them,” he said.

District Collector Muktanand Agarwal said that he was able to convice them not to surrender their cows. “We assured them that police are taking action against the accused. They were also concerned about the investigating officer and we communicated the same to the police,” Agarwal said.

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