Bhartiya Gau Raksha Dal

Bhartiya Gau Raksha Dal
भारतीय गौ रक्षा दल
Abbreviation BGRD
Motto Vande Gau Mataram
वन्दे गौ मातरम
Formation 24 August 2012 (2012-08-24)
Founder Pawan Pandit
Type Right-wing Hindu nationalist organisation
Purpose Supporting Hindu nationalism , Cow Protection Movement
Headquarters New Delhi, India
Region served
India
Official language
Hindi
Chairman
 Pawan Pandit[1]
Website bgrd.in

The Bhartiya Gau Raksha Dal (Hindi: भारतीय गौ रक्षा दल, lit. 'Indian Cow Protection Organization' AKA: BGRD) is a Hindu nationalist right-wing federation of cattle protection movements in India. It provides guidance and support in the construction of protective shelters for cattle and is supporting cattle protection movements all over India. This organization is not affiliated with any political party, its members are all volunteers and it was founded in 2012 by Pawan Pandit.[2]

Actions

In supporting the creation of new cattle protection groups, the organization has already set up more than 32 cattle protection groups in different Indian states.[3] It has spear-headed a campaign against the killing of cattle, filling many complaints against those who were found to be killers.[4][5] A member of the group was appointed to the cattle protection state committee in Punjab, strengthening the group's influence.[6] They openly participate in television debates and public meetings to support cattle protection groups, such as in the Akhlaq murder case.[7]

On June 25, 2016, two organization members were allegedly shot by cattle smugglers,[8] and on July 27, the Indian news channel, NDTV, aired a debate in which it was reported by Pawan Pandit that 100 volunteers in the cattle protection movement were shot by cattle smugglers. Later, he further said that approximately 44,000 cases of cattle smuggling have occurred in all of India, however, the media didn't broadcast anything about it.[9]

Awards

The organization has offered two different awards to be given to cattle protection movements, namely the "Hindu Ratna Awards" and the "Cattle Guard Honor Awards" (Gau Rakshak Samman Puraskar). Both awards were introduced by Pawan Pandit, both being given for the promotion of cattle protection and for the promotion of Hinduism by volunteers.[10]

Controversies

Members of the BGRD have been allegedly involved in numerous incidents of lynching cattle traders, mostly from minority Muslim and Dalits. Their common method of operation is raiding trucks carrying cattle, physically abusing the driver and his associates, sometimes almost killing them and force-feeding cow dung and urine. This raid is usually recorded and posted online, in most cases without any intervention by law-enforcing authorities. The most notorious of all such incidents so far is the killing of Mohammad Akhlaq, a 52 year-old Muslim man from the village Bisara by local organization activists near near Dadri, Uttar Pradesh. This incident was over a rumor that he and his family members have consumed beef.[11] The most recent of such atrocities occurred on July 11, 2016 in Una, Gujarat, where a group of cattle protectors stripped and publicly flogged four Dalit youths for skinning a dead cow, which the group claimed was killed by them; however, an eye-witness later confirmed that the cow was in fact killed by a lion.[12] The incident caused a nationwide protests by Dalits and left groups.

On July 31, 2016, NDTV has aired a report which shows a group of organization members forcibly stopping a truck on the outskirts of Pune, Maharashtra, yanking the driver out, snatching his phone, and pushing his truck to a police station.[13] The report further elaborates on how the so called "cattle protectors" and other activists can be bribed to guarantee safe passage for cattle transporters.

The BGRD founder, Pawan Pandit strongly condemned any violence against humanity, stating that the organization is against the violence and is working on social ground with the police, yet there's a strong media backlash stating that vigilantes don't have a right to police anyone.[14][15]

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.