Do you think smuggling or cow slaughter is a communal issue?

Considering the fact that the cow has been hogging the limelight ever since the BJP government came to power – be it the Dadri lynching or gau raksha’s so-called ‘gau bhakti’ – it could seem that way. But you may want to think again.

The Quint investigates to find out whether ‘gau’ is actually treated as ‘mata’ by Hindus across India – or whether cow slaughter is a matter of convenience, perhaps even a source of money.

We chose to investigate in Haryana because November 2015 saw the state government implement a new cow protection law known as ‘Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan Act, 2015’. It is the most stringent law in the country, with rigorous punishment of up to 10 years and a fine of Rs 1 lakh. Under this law, it is a punishable offence for a cow to be transported within the state, or exported outside the state for slaughter.