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Cow vigilantism is surely working to the detriment of gau raksha – its stated objective. In Uttar Pradesh, no transporter is willing to come forward to take an ailing cow to the vet. They
are terrified of being lynched, shot dead or, at best, mercilessly thrashed for being in possession of the animal. In Bulandshahr, a former Dell manager, Jyoti Singh, has narrated how she is
fearing for the life of her injured cow Moni as no transporter has been brave enough to take the animal to the doctor, _The Times of India_ reported. She holds the government responsible
for the state of affairs. “Out of sheer fear of cow vigilantes, no transporter is willing to risk taking the injured cow to a hospital. Time is running out for Moni, as she cannot move at
all. If anything happens to her, the government will be responsible,” a helpless Jyoti was quoted as saying. Moni has to be taken to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Bareilly. She
lashed out at the “so-called love shown to the holy cow”. “It is just political theatre. None of them really care about the animal. The officials I met were surprised about my concern for
Moni. They pointed out the animal was already insured. This is unbelievable,” Jyoti reportedly said. According to the report, she has sent 114 tweets to officials and elected
representatives, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, chief minister Yogi Adityanath and the district magistrate, but to no avail. Ironically, the Yogi is a self-professed cow-lover.
Jyoti’s father Ranbir, a retired junior commissioned officer of the Army, said “the vigilantes don’t even spare officials of the department of animal husbandry, and assault them brutally”. A
week ago, transporter Ummar Khan was shot dead by gau rakshaks for carrying cows in his vehicle in Alwar. While his family insisted he was a dairy farmer ferrying the animals for milk for
his children, the police have called him, and two others travelling with him, cattle smugglers. Earlier this year, dairy farmer Pehlu Khan, 55, was lynched in Alwar in front of a large crowd
and the act recorded on video by a group of self-proclaimed cow-lovers; at least four of his companions were thrashed. In both incidents, the police investigation allegedly favoured the
accused.