People participate in a dharna against the government demanding compensation for the deceased and injured of A... Read More

JAIPUR: A sense of apprehension and fear has gripped Rajasthan’s banjara community in the wake of Alwar lynching incident . Members of the nomadic community alleged that several local criminals and goons are now masquerading as cow vigilantes and are harassing and blackmailing them for money whenever they return from cattle fairs.

Vijya (35), a resident of a village near Rajsamand, told TOI on Monday that several gau rakshaks claiming themselves to be the members of right wing outfits like Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal have set up check posts on village roads and state highways.

“We go to cattle fairs to buy bulls which are used extensively for farming in southern Rajasthan. However, five kilometre away from every fair there are teams of gau rakshak lurking behind highway eateries who extort money from us, and threaten to implicate us under animal cruelty and Rajasthan Bovine Act,” he said, adding that now a days even farmers who are merely walking on a road with their cattle are waylaid, and blackmailed for money.

Kumar (name changed) alleged he was returning back to his village in a vehicle with bulls in Rajsamand districts when some people claiming to be activists of Bajrang Dal intercepted him and demanded money, “They asked me to pay Rs 20,000, when I declined, they attacked me and one of their activist took away my vehicle,” he added.

Paras Banjrara, a social activist, told TOI that banjaras are hit twice hard due to complicity of police on one hand, and threats from rouge groups from another.

“When extortion is not paid, these rouge elements call out villagers and accuse banajras for transporting cattle for slaughter. The police come to the spot and seize both vehicles and cattle. The cattle are sent to a nearest gaushala till the case is disposed off,” he added.

However, according to Paras, the employees of gaushala allegedly smuggle the sized cattle to customers outside. “We have found many cases where a gaushala staffer has sold of the bull or a cow of the banjara, things have come to such a pass that banjaras are being threatened by the bovine act and cruelty act merely on suspicion,” he said.

