By Anisha Sheth
The mutilation and killing of a pregnant cow in a village in Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka has given fresh blood to the narrative voiced by Hindutva groups that cow smuggling and illegal cattle transport are rampant in the region – loaded with insinuation that Muslims are behind these incidents.
On January 19, the carcass of a pregnant cow was found in Kondakuli of Salkoda village in Honnavar taluk of Karnataka’s Uttara Kannada district. The carcass was mutilated and the meat was taken away. The brutality drew widespread condemnation from all major political parties in the state as well as social organisations. Local leaders of the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party tried to outdo each other while issuing statements. The police went to unusual lengths in the case, advertising cash awards via newspapers to catch the culprits.
While the Salkoda incident is one of uncommon brutality, there is a consensus among politicians, including those from the Congress, that stealing cows is rampant across the district. Although everyone, regardless of political affiliation, appears to buy into the narrative, in Uttara Kannada, actual cases of theft are quite low. But cases involving cattle transport and meat transport have not come down.
Activists and civil society organisations, who want the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act of 2020 to be repealed, are of the view that the data related to cases of illegal transport of cattle and meat obscures the fact that their root cause is the criminalisation of food cultures, with traders and transporters ultimately paying a heavy price.
After the KPSPCA was enacted, farmers have been forced to abandon cattle on the road, and the sale of cattle no longer provides enough remuneration.
Cow smuggling and calls for violent retribution
The Congress had assured in its manifesto before the assembly elections in 2023 that it would repeal the KPSPC Act. But despite the promise, some senior leaders of the party made extremely provocative statements.
Fisheries Minister Mankal S Vaidya, who is also the district-in-charge minister and represents the Bhaktal seat, said he would have the police shoot the culprits on the street.
This story was originally published in newslaundry.com. Read the full story here.
