BJP-backed outfit in West Bengal gets legal notice to stop cow census

ENS, | Kolkata | August 8, 2016: A BJP  backed outfit, which has launched a programme to conduct a census of cow population in West Bengal, has been sent a legal notice by a lawyer of the Calcutta High Court, asking it to cease the move that will “ferment trouble, disturbance” and pit “communities…against each other”.

The notice dated August 1 has been sent to the Gau Raksha Committee by lawyer Sourjya Ghosh. It reads: “Tension is running rife in this country regarding cows as can be seen from the numerous recent incidents of violence, including the atrocities at Una in Gujarat. You have seized this opportunity to create an atmosphere of fear and apprehension – and your efforts carry an insidious communal undertone, which divides people on this line of religion.”

“This correspondence asks you to cease and desist from all such activities that you are planning to start from today along with some like-minded elements, that will ferment trouble, disturbances and much more with communities being pitted against each other, failing which criminal proceedings will be moved against you, and your movement in the competent court of jurisdiction in this country and you will bear the consequences. This will be a notice in law,” the notice adds.

The Gau Raksha Committee had announced last month that it will conduct the cow survey from August 1 and after Bakr Eid in September, it plans to file FIRs against any “missing cows” to initiate an investigation to find if there was any violation of norms regarding cow slaughter.

“Every year, during Bakr Eid, thousands of cows are slaughtered and are smuggled to Bangladesh. It is true that cow slaughter is not banned in West Bengal. But even then, there are certain norms that need to be followed. For instance, a cow is eligible to be slaughtered and sold if she is 14 years of age and doesn’t have any diseases and isn’t pregnant. This needs to be certified by a medical officer. But this is rarely followed,” said Subrata Gupta, president of committee had said.

Gupta added after FIRs are filed against missing cows, their former owners need to furnish the necessary official and medical papers to prove whether prescribed norms were followed.

Speaking at the Martyr’s Day Rally on July 21, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had asked the cow development cell to not go ahead with the cow census and had said that the government will combat the move politically if required. She had said that a “group of people are trying to ferment communal trouble by conducting a cow census”.

Ghosh has also submitted a copy of the notice to the West Midnapore SP from where the cow census began.