In Mewat, cattle trading comes to halt after Alwar

Geetanjali Gayatri

Tribune News Service

Mewat, April 14

After the biryani “spoiler” on Bakr-Id last year, Muslims apprehend more trouble this Ramzan (beginning May). It will never be business as usual. For, buying and selling cattle has been suspended indefinitely after local resident Pehlu Khan was lynched by “gau rakshaks” in Alwar, Rajasthan, recently.

Such is the fear of losing their lives that the Meos refuse to give their names, lest they are identified and targeted by cow vigilantes. They feel safe only within the confines of their district.

“Step out beyond Tavru, and we are targeted because of our beard, especially if we are trading in cattle. For paltry gains (Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 per cattle head), none is willing to endanger his life. We will labour hard but won’t step out,” says Illyas of Sudaka village, sipping tea at a roadside vend.

Asloop of Dhanduka village narrates: “I went to buy cattle in Hailey Mandi a month ago. I took money for two cattle head but bought only one, a buffalo. I was stopped mid-way, thrashed for sporting a beard and robbed of Rs 20,000. I was lucky not to have been killed.”

As a buffalo costs anything between Rs 50,000 and Rs 1 lakh and a cow is priced at Rs 20,000 to Rs 70,000, most buyers take loan to make purchases. Nawab of Sudaka, 50, explains why cow-trading ahead of Ramzan is no longer feasible. “A month before Ramzan, the cattle trade would gather pace with the demand for milk rising during fasting. However, Pehlu Khan’s lynching has forced us to weigh other options. We may not only lose money and vehicles ferrying cattle, but our lives too. It is better to be safe than sorry,” he says, adding that being a Muslim is becoming a “punishment”.

Umar Muhammad, president of the Mewat Vikas Sabha, sees the Alwar incident as a deliberate attempt to “isolate” Muslims. “There was a time when Meo traders would dine and sleep at the homes of Hindu cattle sellers in Rajasthan. Now, something is grossly wrong. Fear is being ingrained in our minds to serve a political purpose,” he suspects.

In Jaisinghpur, Abdul Kamim and other mourners are sitting in a tent outside Pehlu Khan’s house. He says: “Most of us buy cattle from Hindu traders in adjoining Ujina village. But the temptation of having his own pick-up and saving money prompted Pehlu to explore other markets. All that we now have is his video that shows how mercilessly he was thrashed. Everybody in the village has the video. They can’t understand why he was assaulted. It makes no sense.” 

But then can a senseless act be justified by any stretch of imagination?