RANCHI: A few of Jharkhand’s cow vigilantes have strongly opposed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks against cow vigilantes. In Jharkhand some cow vigilantes have taken extraordinary and risky steps to protect cows. Earlier this year, two Muslim cattle traders were killed and hanged to death by a group of men which included a hardcore cow vigilante. The assailants freed the eight buffaloes the victims were herding for sale to a local market.Arun Singh, a self-proclaimed cow vigilante and the chief of Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s Jamshedpur town unit, said that “people” come out on the streets to protect cows because the center and the state governments (both ruled by BJP) have failed to protect cows from their killers.“Cow is our mother and we will protect her. We will make efforts to save cows. But I do not advocate use of violence as a tool to protect the cows,” Singh said.Not many cow vigilantes are as outspoken against the PM’s remarks as Singh. Many cow vigilantes TOI talked to were critical of the PM’s remarks but did not want to go on record.Former chief of Jharkhand’s commission engaged in cow welfare and protection ‘Gau Seva Ayog’ Bharat Jhunjhunwala said PM Modi was wrong to say that 80% cow vigilantes do bad deeds which the society does not accept. “Only 10% to 20% people are like that. I have a long experience in cow protection and service I know that not more than 20% are bad people,” he repeated.A cow vigilante Sanjeev Kumar Singh alias Pappu Singh, based in Latehar where the cattle traders were hanged, said he was jailed in 2012 for “attacking cattle traders”. “I was trapped in a false case. We are cow vigilantes but never indulge in violence,” he said.The cow slaughter is banned in Jharkhand. A cow vigilante who did not want to be named said the violence is used as self-protection. “When we try to stop Muslims from slaughtering cows or smuggling them outside the state, they attack us. Almost every violence used against cattle traders is in self-protection,” he said.Leader of Jharkhand cattle traders Mujib Qraishi said the cattle traders are living in a state of fear and terror in Jharkhand.Cow vigilantism is a deep-rooted practice in Jharkhand. In almost all districts cow vigilante groups exist under different names and banners to prepare the ground to get cows declared ‘Rashtra Mata’ (mother of the nation). Hindu hardliners occupy top positions in the cow vigilante organizations but claim that they do not advocate violence in the name of cow protection.Jharkhand’s chief secretary Rajbala Verma did not pick calls to answer if the state government has taken any step in the wake of PM’s call to identify and punish cow vigilantes who have used violence in the name of cow protection. She did not reply to SMSes either. No other authority wanted to speak on the political sensitive matter because most of the cow vigilantes are associated with BJP’s sister organisations.