Is a Cow's Life more Precious than that of a Human?

Many times in this past 2 years I have come across this word " Intolerant India". So is India intolerant? I think to some extent, yes, because of the socio-political situation in the country. One of the issues that perturbed me was the killing of innocent people in the name of cows.

Cows are regarded holy in India by many Indians. It has become a political issue in the country since the BJP led government came to power in 2014. I am a proud Indian citizen but I am ashamed at the actions of some Indians who think they are more powerful than the law and the Constitution of the country. These many years living in my own country I had never heard such a thing like "beef lynching" before 2014.

Beef lynching is killing of people by a mob in the name of cow protection. One of the first cases that came into the spotlight was the Dadri lynching.

In 2015, a mob attacked the house of a Muslim, Mohammed Akhlaq, in Dadri with stones and bricks whom they suspected to have stolen a cow and slaughtered it. In the attack 52-year-old, Mohammed Akhlaq died and his 22-year-old son, Danish was seriously injured. Later, it was confirmed by the state government that he had no beef stored in his house. The mob killed a person just on the basis of suspicion. Even if beef was found, does he deserve to die just because he ate beef?

Another sad incident took place in June of 2017, two young Muslim brothers on a visit to Delhi to buy new clothes for Eid boarded a train to return home. Soon, they were caught up in an argument over seating with fellow passengers, which later escalated into an argument over their religion. Some passengers called the boys, “beef-eaters”. The boys were assaulted with knives. Fifteen-year-old, Junaid Khan was thrown out of the moving train. He had been stabbed multiple times and was later declared brought dead at Civil Hospital in Palwal. Was this not an evil act and a senseless killing of a teenager?

There have been many similar attacks in India, some have died and some were saved on time.

And if we see most of the cases, the mob have attacked Muslims. There is a rise in anti-Muslim violence in India. Such situations can give rise to communal riots in the future if not thwarted. It will be devastating for our country. I think we should learn from our past mistakes and we should not allow anything that will disrupt peace in our country.

India is not a Hindu country, nor a Muslim, nor a Christian or for that matter of any other religion. India belongs to all the people who live in the country and contribute towards its development.

Many people in India have been killed by cow vigilantes. This group of people call themselves as "Cow Protectors" or "Gau Rakshak's". There is no or very little action taken against such people. If we want our country to be prosperous we cannot have such narrow-minded views or thoughts and we should not support such kind of people who think they can do their dirty work in the name of cow protection.

At present, there is a ban on beef sale in 24 out of 29 states. In states like Kerala, Mizoram and few others there is no ban because of the stiff resistance from the people.

People really need to understand that human life is more important than the life of an animal. Animal life is also precious and we should not kill them for fun or for entertainment purposes but for our meal, yes, of course, we can.

At present, 80 million people consume beef in India, which also includes Hindus. Beef consumption didn't start in India 2-3 years back, beef has been consumed for last so many centuries, till 2 years back there was no issue. We should understand that some wicked people are trying to create a havoc in the country through their sinister plans. People who take law in their hands and can kill another human being in cold blood are not God-fearing and if we support such people, they will continue to do so without any remorse.

We should always understand each action of ours will have a consequence and we should look forward to a country of peace and unity and not a country with endless violence and hatred for one another. What kind of country are we leaving behind for our future generation?

It is high time that all the people come together irrespective of the religious views, political views, socio-economic background and say no to such violence which can bring no good to the developing country like India and give our attention to the real issues that really require our full concentration before its too late. Let's join hands and work towards eradicating poverty, corruption, violence against women, terrorism etc. As a human being, we all should find solutions to issues through dialogue and not through violence.

I would like to quote Betty Williams here, "I always say that non-violence is not the weapon of the weak. It is the weapon of the strong."