State BJP president Dilip Ghosh questions the police’s justification in apprehending the man

The arrest of a Muslim dairy farmer in West Bengal’s Hooghly district for selling cow urine and dung as an antidote to COVID-19 has sparked a political row, with the State BJP president Dilip Ghosh questioning the police’s justification in apprehending the man.

Police on Tuesday arrested Mamud Ali, alias Sheikh Mamud, in Hooghly district’s Dankuni, about 25 km from Kolkata, for attempting to “outrage religious feelings” and booked him under Sections 295A and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.

He was also slapped with a charge under the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954. “He is arrested and his objective is now being investigated, ” a senior official of the district police, Humayun Kabir, told reporters.

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Mr. Ali is reported to have been inspired to set up a stall to sell the bovine excreta after watching television footage that featured a Hindu Mahasabha leader talking about the efficacy of cow urine and dung as a “medicine” for dealing with the latest worldwide coronavirus outbreak.

The dairy farmer, who reportedly owns two cows, told local journalists that he now regretted his decision to sell the bovine excreta, given the trouble he had landed himself in.

“I realised I can make more profit by selling cow urine and dung. Now, I can utilise every part of cows in my business,” Indo-Asian News Service quoted Mr. Ali as having said. Mr. Ali was selling cow urine and dung at about ₹300-500, according to the police.

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The police action against Mr. Ali drew flak from the BJP’s Mr. Ghosh, who said that distributing cow urine was not a crime.

“Many consume cow urine but do not confess in public, they have a habit of consuming cow excreta with other milk products secretly. I myself have consumed cow urine many times and will keep consuming it for its health benefits,” said Mr. Ghosh, who is also the BJP’s Lok Sabha MP from Midnapore. Another party leader Sayantan Basu said: “It has not been proved or disproved that cow urine is bad… so what is the problem”.

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Kolkata’s Mayor Firhad Hakim, who is also a senior leader of the State’s ruling Trinamool Congress, said authorities would not tolerate this “bunkum.”

“This has no scientific basis, this business of selling cow urine, neither in corona cure nor for any other medical purpose,” Mr. Hakim asserted, adding, “We have got to stop this and we will”.

(With inputs from IANS)