THE All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), in a statement issued on November 14, has expressed deep shock and strongly condemned the killing of yet another farmer, Ummar Khan, by cow vigilantes in Alwar, Rajasthan. He and two other farmers, Tahir Khan and Javed Khan had purchased cows in a village near Jaipur. When they were returning after buying the cattle, after passing Ramgad, they were attacked in a village called Gahankar. Six or seven vigilante goons who came in a white Tata Sumo car, attacked them and started firing at them. Ummar Khan was killed and Javed Khan is reported missing.

What is even more shocking is that the Rajasthan Police registered a case against the victims and allowed these cow vigilantes to go scot free. Notably last month the Alwar police forcibly took away about 40 cows of a Muslim farmer at the instigation of a BJP leader and put them in gaushala. It was after protests that they were released. Even in this case the Superintendent of Police is declaring the victims as cow smugglers without even any investigation or action against the killers. AIKS has condemned this prejudiced attitude of the police which is only aiding the vigilante groups and communal forces.

Last year, in an exactly similar manner, another farmer Pehlu Khan was murdered by cow vigilantes in Alwar. Not only did his family not get any compensation from the state government, but his murderers were set free by the police. The AIKS and the Bhoomi Adhikar Andolan had led an effective countrywide campaign on this issue as well as ensured financial assistance to the families.

In view of these murders of innocents by cow vigilantes in several parts of the country, the Supreme Court had recently given strict orders to the central and state governments to prevent such attacks and take stringent action in such cases. It had also said that adequate compensation must be given to the victims of such attacks.

The AIKS has demanded that the central government and the Rajasthan government abide by the directions of the Supreme Court, ensure that the culprits are brought to book and the families of the victims are immediately given an adequate compensation amount. The AIKS also demanded that the central government must ban all these hoodlums indulging in cow vigilantism all over the country.