Rajasthan’s BJP MLA courts controversy with remarks on cow smuggling

Jaipur, Dec 25 (IANS) Rajasthan BJP MLA Gyan Dev Ahuja has courted controversy over his statement on cow smuggling, wherein he has warned those indulging in cow smuggling of imminent death.

“I am saying it straight: If you indulge in cow smuggling, or indulge in cow slaughter, you will get killed (mera to sidha-sidha kehana hai, gau taskari karoge ya gau-kashi karoge to yun hi maroge),” he told the media in Alwar on Saturday.

Ahuja, an MLA from Ramgarh in Alwar district who earlier too courted controversy, made the statement after an incident of alleged cow smuggling in Alwar district on Saturday.

Cow vigilantes beat up a man accused of smuggling cows in Ramgarh area of Alwar district, while two of his associates escaped. Police later arrested Zakir Khan on charge of cow smuggling.

He was admitted to a hospital in Ramgarh first but as his condition became serious he was referred to Alwar.

Ahuja, however, claimed that Khan was not beaten by cow vigilantes but was injured when their truck overturned while they were trying to escape.

The Bharatiya Janata Party lawmaker said that cow smugglers took to rural roads through Alwar and Bharatpur areas to smuggle cows to Haryana from Mewar and Marwar regions of Rajasthan and whenever police or villagers tried to stop them they pelted them with stones or even fired.

In November, cow vigilantes shot dead Umar, aged around 35, and injured another man in Govindgarh in Alwar district on suspicion of cow smuggling.

In April, Pehlu Khan was beaten to death on suspicion of cow smuggling by vigilantes in Alwar district.