Fears Increase After Attack on Indian Dairy Farmer

 

Rakbar Khan was walking his two cows home to Kolgaon village when he was attacked last month in the Indian state, Rajasthan. The attackers were a group of suspected cow vigilantes. Khan later died in the hospital of his injuries.

Groups of Hindus calling themselves “cow protectors” attack people they suspect of killing¹ cows or eating cow meat. Hindus consider the cow to be a holy animal. Rakbar Khan is Muslim.

Many Muslims in northern India are dairy² farmers, and they fear their traditional work is now under threat.

The deadly incidents have increased since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rose to power. A major goal of the party has been cow protection. Critics say the party is using cow protection laws to attack Muslims, Dalits and Christians⁴.

The victim’s family says Khan took a loan⁵ to buy the cows. The father of seven children planned to sell cow milk. The families in Kolgaon village have raised animals for generations.

“He had five cows which had stopped giving milk,” says his cousin Mohammad Akbar. “He thought two more cows would provide milk for his kids and he could also sell some in the market to support his family.”

Poorer people in the village buy cows because they cost a lot less than buffaloes⁶. “Four cows give 60 kilograms of milk. People sell it and the money looks after their daily needs,” said Fazruddin Khan, a village leader.

There are about 1,500 cattle and 5,000 people in Kolgaon. Village leaders say fear of attack has led people to stop buying cows.

?Three people have been arrested in connection with the killing of Rakbar Khan. But that has not eased³ fears. Kolgaon village borders Rajasthan state where cow vigilantes have been very active.

Cow vigilantes have carried out 60 attacks across India since 2010. They are most common in northern India. Almost all the attacks took place after the BJP rose to power in 2014, reported data research website IndiaSpend.

Twenty-eight of those 60 people were killed, the website reported. And, almost all of the dead were Muslims. Dalits have also been targeted.

The BJP has distanced itself from such groups and condemned⁷ the attacks. Prime⁸ Minister Narendra Modi has publicly criticized⁹ cow vigilantism and called on state governments to punish those who incite¹⁰ violence “in the name of cow protection.”

In a recent interview for the Times of India newspaper, Modi said that his government is committed to protecting the life and liberty¹¹ of every citizen.

Khan’s death has shocked both Hindus and Muslims in the village they have shared peacefully for generations. “We are like brothers,” said Har Lal, the former village council¹² head.

Political experts wonder why officials are not doing more to stop the cow vigilantes. They say the vigilantes are causing a sense of insecurity among the country’s Muslims, who represent about 14 percent of India’s population.

“There is a certain climate that has been created, that certain kinds of crime, people will get away with,” said political expert Neerja Chowdhury in New Delhi.

In Khan’s case, the public has questioned police actions following the attack. The officers took Khan’s cows to a shelter before getting him to a hospital. He laid, wounded, on the ground for three hours.

I’m Dorothy Gundy.

Words in This Story

vigilante – n. a person who is not a police officer but who tries to catch and punish criminals

data – n. facts or information used usually to calculate¹³, analyze¹⁴, or plan something

certain – adj. not having any doubt about something

1 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

2 dairy   

n.牛奶场，乳品店；adj.乳制品的

参考例句：

• The yogurt sold by this dairy is delicious.这家乳品店出售的酸奶非常好喝。
• He kept a few dairy cows.他养了几头奶牛。

3 eased   

adj. 放松的 动词ease的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• After the patient received acupuncture treatment,his spasms eased off somewhat. 病人接受针刺治疗后，痉挛稍微减轻了。
• The news that her child was safe eased her mind. 孩子平安的消息使她放心了。

4 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

5 loan   

n.贷款；借出的东西；借；vt.借出；贷予

参考例句：

• I asked the bank to help me with a loan.我请银行给我一笔贷款。
• Has the bank okayed your request for a loan?银行批准你的贷款要求了吗？

6 buffaloes   

n.水牛（分非洲水牛和亚洲水牛两种）( buffalo的名词复数 )；（南非或北美的）野牛；威胁；恐吓

参考例句：

• Some medieval towns raced donkeys or buffaloes. 有些中世纪的城市用驴子或水牛竞赛。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Water buffaloes supply Egypt with more meat than any other domestic animal. 水牛提供给埃及的肉比任何其它动物都要多。 来自辞典例句

7 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

8 prime   

adj.首要的，主要的；最好的，第一流的

参考例句：

• The prime minister spoke of the general insecurity in the country.总理谈到了全国普遍存在的不安全。
• He met with the Prime Minister of Japan for an hour.他和日本首相会见了一个小时。

9 criticized   

vt.批评(criticize的过去式)v.评论，批评( criticize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The decision was criticized by environmental groups. 这个决定受到了环保团体的批评。
• The movie has been criticized for apparently legitimizing violence. 这部电影因明显地美化暴力而受到了指责。

10 incite   

v.引起，激动，煽动

参考例句：

• I wanted to point out he was a very good speaker, and could incite a crowd.我想说明他曾是一个非常出色的演讲家，非常会调动群众的情绪。
• Just a few words will incite him into action.他只需几句话一将，就会干。

11 liberty   

n.自由，自由权；冒昧行为

参考例句：

• He stood for the cause of liberty and justice.他为自由和正义的事业而奋斗。
• You are at liberty to do as you please.你可以随意行事。

12 council   

n.理事会，委员会，议事机构

参考例句：

• The town council passed a law forbidding the distribution of handbills.市议会通过法律，禁止散发传单。
• The city council has declared for improving the public bus system.市议会宣布同意改进公共汽车系统。

13 calculate   

vt.计算，核算；估计，推测；计划，打算

参考例句：

• He must calculate the probability of failure.他必须计算一下失败的概率。
• I'll calculate what it will cost.我要估计一下那要花多少钱。

14 analyze   

vt.分析，解析 (=analyse)

参考例句：

• We should analyze the cause and effect of this event.我们应该分析这场事变的因果。
• The teacher tried to analyze the cause of our failure.老师设法分析我们失败的原因。