It was for finding suitable land for building a small home for me, I visit a village in the suburbs of Mysore city. In the absence of the owner of the land, we asked a few people who were found gathered in that locality. There were around 5 members there, two locals and others, Muslims from Mysore city.
Surprisingly, there was a calf just a week old with them that for no reason, suddenly came to me and started licking my hand. I couldn’t resist looking at the cute face. I sat down close to it, hugging him and caressing him. It was then I noticed its stomach was empty and was badly in need to eat something. I asked the young man there about his mother who answered that she died the previous day.
Shattered, I was asking the man if he managed to give it some milk, the man replied that he hadn’t. While the conversation was going on, suddenly the man who promised to show the land invited me to follow him as he was informed the owner is not available and we have to make another visit to discuss the details of the land.
As I returned to the vehicle, the poor calf was following me, however, I had no way of entertaining him. A man who does not even have a home to stay in – where will I take him? On the way back I asked my friend who is also a real estate agent about the calf and the people whom we met there. The answer was shocking.
The men whom I saw with the locals were Muslim youths from Mysore city and they are there to buy the calf. As the owner of the cow is not ready to take care of the calf, it is being sold to the Muslim men who will slaughter and sell the meat. I asked what will they get to kill such a small calf, the answer was that they love the tender meat.
The Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act (KPSPCA), 2020, was initially promulgated as an ordinance in January 2021 before it was passed in the Legislative Council in February. Under the Act, a person can be imprisoned for up to seven years for cattle slaughter. It prohibits the slaughter of all bovine animals severely penalises transporters of cattle for slaughter, and empowers cow vigilantes.
However, slaughtering cattle is still happening in the state and beef is available in every nuke and corner of the state. Though the government claims to have made necessary arrangements for protecting cows, even the high court today said that the response regarding the same from the government is not satisfactory.
While cows are considered the most divine form of life in Bharat, I do not know how far Hindus are educated on protecting them. The rising Muslim population that has become a threat to the existence of Hindus is certainly the greatest challenge when governments try to protect cows.
Even after several months, the innocent face of the calf, who lost its mother and licked everyone’s hand expecting to taste the nectar from its mother, still haunts me. Like many others, I am helpless and the very feeling makes this life miserable!
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