In Alwar, where cow vigilantes rule, BJP wary

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

Alwar, December 2

Far from the hustle and bustle of elections, Lalawandi, a small, nondescript village in Rajasthan’s Alwar, is still caressing the wounds of the past.

It’s here that cow vigilantes last struck on July 20 this year, killing a young Rakbar Khan on suspicions of cow smuggling. Khan was on his way home to neighbouring Haryana when he was murdered by people affiliated to the right wing fringe that allegedly had the blessings of BJP’s local Ramgarh MLA Gian Dev Ahuja.

Ahuja has been denied a ticket this time, but that’s hardly any consolation for locals who continue to live in fear as self-styled “gau rakshak dals” roam free.

“I still remember that day. While Rakbar Khan’s listless body lay on one side, policemen were busy sipping tea on the other side. Is this the way to treat humans?” asks Azmat, a Lalawandi resident, who saw the killing that sent shock waves through the minority Meo Muslim community of Alwar primarily engaged in dairy farming.

Earlier, on April 1, 2017, Pehlu Khan was similarly murdered by vigilantes in Alwar’s Behrod village.

Cases are going on in courts. Only recently three men accused of killing Rakbar Khan were chargesheeted for murder. Two other accused are still under investigation.

On ground zero, minority residents are waiting for the voting day to strike back and are openly talking about it.

“Cow vigilantism and murders of Meo Muslims have led to complete consolidation of minorities in Alwar. In the past we wouldn’t think of communities while exercising our franchise, but this time we will. Communal polarisation has reached unprecedented levels. We didn’t see anything like this even during Partition. Not that the Congress has done much for us, but we don’t have a choice. Voting for the Congress is our compulsion,” says Maulana Hanif, 70, who feels seeds of polarisation in Alwar were sown with the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition.

Local dynamics being what they are, the BJP is wary of the outcome in Alwar as the election remains too close to call. Earlier this year, the BJP lost the Alwar Lok Sabha byelection to the Congress by a heavy margin in reflection of the general mood in the area.

This explains why BJP star campaigners — Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP CM Yogi Adityanath — both began their Rajasthan canvassing from Alwar this season, attempting to address the local Yadav community.

Further, the BJP, which has MLAs in 10 of the 11 Assembly constituencies in Alwar parliamentary segment, has changed all its candidates but one. The idea is to beat local anti-incumbency.

The most talked about move of the BJP in Alwar is the denial of a ticket to Gian Dev Ahuja, who publicly backed the killers of Rakbar and Pehlu Khan. Ahuja has, however, been compensated with the post of Rajasthan BJP vice-president and was also on stage when PM Modi addressed a rally in Alwar last Sunday.

Lalawandi locals are closely watching. As Asiya Bibi and Nafisa Bano say, “We get the message BJP is giving.”

As for the BJP, it is evidently trapped between the Hindutva support base and the minorities in Alwar.