6 months ago
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A Godrej almirah stands successful the country of a 10x10 square-foot country successful a Mumbai chawl. Wedged into its edges are 2 photographs: a fading passport-size representation of a antheral and 1 of a newly-wedded couple, keepsakes of a beingness interrupted.
Rafiq Mehboob Tamboli, 35 twelvemonth aged successful 2021, sold kaanda-batata (onions and potatoes) from a cart, and would occasionally thrust a tempo for a nutrient dealer. On June 4, 2021, Rafiq near location astatine 10:30 a.m. to marque a transportation successful Pune, astir 150 km away. He was to instrumentality astatine dawn the pursuing day.
It has been implicit 4 years since that day. His wife, Reshma, 33, and their 2 children, present 13 and 11, inactive anticipation helium volition return. “That nighttime astatine 9.30, helium said he’d started backmost for Mumbai,” Reshma says, recalling her past telephone with him. She turns to the photos: “They are wearing out.”
Imran Sheikh Abdul Gafar, the cleaner who was with Rafiq, inactive remembers the nighttime clearly. A achromatic car began tailing their tempo adjacent Shivachi Aai Mandir (on the outskirts of Pune) and astatine astir 10:30 p.m. forced them to stop, helium says. “Five oregon six men with bamboo sticks, knives, and swords broke the window, dragged america out, and bushed america portion shouting ‘Jai Shri Ram’. They tore unfastened the packages and took our cash,” helium shares. Imran adds that helium hid successful the bushes, witnessing the battle connected Rafiq.
The men took the tempo to Daund constabulary station, wherever an FIR was lodged astatine 4:12 a.m. connected June 5, 2021, nether assorted sections of the Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act, 1976, alleging transport of beef — amerciable successful Maharashtra. The FIR was filed by Shivshankar Rajendra Swami, who says helium is present president of the Pune District All India Krishi Gau Seva Sangh, a self-proclaimed 97-year-old carnal rights organisation. In the FIR, helium is described arsenic an “Animal Welfare Officer”. The FIR did not sanction the alleged attackers.
Reshma says she did respective rounds of the constabulary station, but, “only a missing study was filed and nary 1 tried to hint Rafiq”. She has present taken connected the kaanda-batata cart concern to marque ends meet. Reshma approached the Bombay High Court successful 2024. This August, the tribunal directed the Superintendent of Police, Pune (Rural), to record a advancement study connected tracing Rafiq and explicate wherefore Reshma’s ailment had not been registered arsenic an FIR.
Across Maharashtra, traders are fearful of transporting nutrient by roadworthy for fearfulness of cattle vigilantes targeting them. The signifier is the same, they allege: a radical of men surrounds a tempo and gets convulsive with those transporting the meat. Often, unrecorded cattle being transported are intercepted, with the vigilantes claiming they are being taken to beryllium slaughtered. Families of those impacted accidental the constabulary often doesn’t cooperate with them successful filing FIRs.
The gau rakshaks (cow protectors), who person been increasing successful fig and stature implicit the past 20 years, contradict being violent.
Cow monitors
Swami, 31, boasts that successful 11 years his organisation has rescued astir 30,000 cows, calves, and oxen. “Under the Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act, 1976, cows are protected from slaughter. Oxen were banned erstwhile the Act was amended successful 2015. Despite this law, enforcement is inconsistent arsenic the constabulary bash not cooperate always. It is our societal work to intervene.” Only buffaloes tin beryllium slaughtered, helium says.
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The ‘rescued’ cattle are taken to government gaushalas, helium adds. As of 2025, determination are 962 registered gaushalas in Maharashtra, with a capableness of holding astir 1.5 lakh animals. They get backing from some Central and State governments. “In Maharashtra, gau rakshaks never attack,” helium claims. “When nutrient is seized, the drivers often admit it’s cattle oregon ox nutrient and they bash not person receipts. The constabulary past verify this done laboratory tests and hide the meat,” helium adds.
Swami’s archetypal tract acquisition was astatine 17, erstwhile helium joined Hindutva person Milind Ekbote, the president of Samasta Hindutvavadi Aghadi, a radical whose tagline is “Struggle for Hindu existence”. He claims they rescued 29 cows from Pune’s Chakan market.
“Since then, Qureshis person attacked maine 8 times. All the FIRs against america are cleared arsenic we are ne'er astatine fault,” helium says. Qureshis are a assemblage traditionally successful the nutrient business. He holds an individuality paper that says ‘Committee to Monitor Animal Welfare Laws successful Maharashtra appointed by the Honourable Bombay High Court’.
“There are astir 6,000 gau rakshaks in Maharashtra, of which 350 clasp ID cards. There is nary property bounds for this selfless work,” Swami says.
A interior January 2018 missive of the Animal Husbandry Department said that Shivshankar Swami and Milind Ekbote were “taking the instrumentality into their ain hands”, recommending cancellation of their appointments.
Advocate Satish B. Talekar, who is handling Reshma’s case, says this committee was formed aft a 2005 PIL successful the Bombay High Court by Swami’s organisation. “Under RTIs filed betwixt 2018 and 2021, we learnt that the High Court stopped monitoring this committee successful 2008. Yet IDs inactive transportation the statement ‘High Court appointed’, conferring undue authority.”
A lynching goes live
On June 24, 2023, Affan Abdul Majid Ansari, 32 then, near his location successful Mumbai astatine 10:30 p.m. to enactment a nighttime displacement carting nutrient to Pune. Near Nashik, a mob of 20 equipped with robust rods allegedly stopped the vehicle, demanded money, and bushed him and operator Nasir Qureshi, forcing them to chant “Jai Shri Ram”. A video of the battle went viral. Affan died connected the spot; Nasir survived.
The postmortem study confirmed that Affan had suffered aggregate injuries to his captious organs. Afroz Ansari, 27, his widow, says, “I started moving arsenic a home assistance to support our daughters, 5 and 9, successful school.”
On January 17, 2024, Afroz moved the Bombay High Court done advocator Talekar, seeking implementation of the Supreme Court’s 2018 anti-lynching guidelines, fast-track trials, and compensation. In October 2025, the tribunal awarded her a ₹10 lakh compensation, but the authorities has sanctioned ₹5 lakh, the lawyer says.
While mob lynching did not signifier a portion of the erstwhile codified law, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, present explicitly defines it successful Section 103(2) (murder by 5 oregon much persons acting connected individuality grounds) and Section 117(4) (grievous hurt). This raises expectations of clearer categorisation and tougher penalties, says Talekar.
A teen traumatised
Around 270 km distant from Mumbai, successful a colony of Ahilyanagar district, a 17-year-old lad ended his life successful October 2025. The time before, cattle vigilantes had allegedly intercepted his tempo, assaulted him, and live-streamed the attack, calling him a cattle smuggler.
The lad belongs to the traditionally-pastoral Dhangar community. Neighbours and relatives person gathered astatine the family’s home. A mat is laid connected the structure of the location with a tin roof. “Justice is lone for radical with wealth and power,” says his mother.
Their older son, 18, a people 12 student, has tonsured his caput to execute the ceremonial rites of his brother. “He would aftermath up astatine 5 successful the morning. He’d cleanable the cowshed, bathe and provender the cows. He sold beverage successful his tempo, returned by 7, ate breakfast, and went to schoolhouse by 8. In the afternoon, helium would assistance our parents connected the farm,” helium says.
On October 27, the lad near location astir 2 p.m. with a cattle successful his tempo to manus implicit to his kaka (uncle), a husbandman successful a colony 200 km away. “A radical of four gau rakshaks intercepted him, accused him of smuggling, bushed him up, demanded ₹5,000, and seized his telephone truthful that helium could not interaction anyone. They live-streamed the onslaught connected societal media and threatened him,” helium says.
At Loni constabulary station, they filed an FIR against the boy, claiming helium was transporting the cattle to a slaughterhouse. When his household reached the constabulary presumption astir 5 p.m., the constabulary said the conveyance would beryllium released upon outgo of ₹15,000. The constabulary accidental the cattle was sent to a gaushala, but erstwhile the household asked for documentation oregon proof, nary was provided.
Mumbai-based Reshma Rafiq’s hubby has been missing since 2021. He was allegedly attacked by cattle vigilantes. | Photo Credit: Emmanual Yogini
Around 8 p.m., the lad came location with bruises each implicit his assemblage and face, says his mother. She cleaned them with h2o and applied turmeric connected them. “He ate roti and baigan bhaji and went to bed. The adjacent morning, my hubby and I went to find enactment and to put wealth to get the tempo backmost from the police,” she says. When they got backmost home, helium was unresponsive. They rushed him to the hospital, 16 km from their village, but helium was declared brought dead.
After the postmortem, the household refused to instrumentality the assemblage until the constabulary registered an FIR against the alleged assaulters. The household says astir 200 Dhangars gathered extracurricular Loni constabulary station. Only a time and a fractional aboriginal was an FIR registered against 4 men who stay absconding. Loni Police Sub-Inspector Sanjay Vikhe says, “A lawsuit has been registered for abetment of suicide, which prescribes punishment up to beingness imprisonment oregon decease for inciting the termination of a minor.” The constabulary besides accidental that the accused, identified arsenic Dinesh Rakecha, Prashant Rakecha, Sourav Lahamge, and Sanket Kharde, each betwixt 20 and 22, are affiliated to the Bajrang Dal and person a grounds of attacking radical transporting cattle.
On October 31, the villagers and activists staged a protestation extracurricular the constabulary presumption demanding a speedy and impartial investigation.
Trade nether siege
Around 300 km distant from Mumbai is Bepari Mahola successful Ahilyanagar, wherever nutrient treaders are pondering the aboriginal of their ancestral business. They accidental the predominant attacks connected them and their commercialized has near galore jobless. Some person garment stalls connected the footpath now. Many are learning to go mechanics, portion immoderate are selling paan oregon fruits and vegetables.
Ayan Zakir Qureshi, 21, is the sole breadwinner for his household of five. His father, 50, erstwhile successful the nutrient trade, discontinue aft helium says helium was repeatedly harassed and assaulted by cattle vigilante groups who barged into their home, seized cattle contempt valid receipts, and filed FIRs.
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In October 2024, Ayan and his uncle, Mustakim Janimiya Qureshi, 34, were returning from Ravadewadi colony successful Shirur, Pune, with 15 calves, erstwhile helium says a mob chased and attacked them adjacent Supa village.
“Initially, determination were astir 15 radical pursuing america connected bikes and cars, but arsenic we reached Supa, the mob accrued to hundreds. We had to halt our conveyance due to the fact that they had surrounded america from everywhere. They pelted stones astatine us, broke the solid window, and dragged america out. They kicked us, deed america with sticks, robust rods. The constabulary arrived lone aft an hr of torture,” helium says. The full battle was allegedly filmed and circulated connected societal media.
Both sustained superior injuries and were hospitalised for 15 days. While the constabulary registered FIRs from some sides, lone six attackers were arrested and released wrong 4 months. Ayan says aft that incident, helium feels dizzy often. He shows a video connected societal media by 1 of the alleged attackers, who is holding a sword and informing nutrient traders. Ayan is present grooming to beryllium a mechanic.
A septuagenarian, who does not privation to beryllium named, erstwhile ran a wholesale nutrient concern and present sells beverage connected a footpath. “Ahilyanagar has astir 2,500 Qureshis, straight progressive successful the nutrient trade. I spent my full beingness successful the nutrient trade. It’s a wholesale concern that erstwhile fed thousands of families.”
Before 2014, 1 Friday cattle marketplace unsocial would spot ₹3–4 crore worthy of commercialized successful the district, helium says. “There were 15 specified markets. Farmers and traders would travel from Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and crossed Maharashtra to bargain cattle. Each cattle would outgo anyplace from ₹40,000 to ₹90 lakh.”
From 70 shops, helium says determination are present hardly 15. “Newspapers started printing headlines similar ‘Gau maas dharla’ (cow nutrient seized). The constabulary would registry cases based connected these reports without conducting immoderate laboratory tests.” Ahilyanagar’s Ghodegaon bazaar, wherever the nutrient commercialized took place, is deserted.
Seven years ago, the Ahmednagar Municipal Corporation approved a slaughterhouse connected 2 hectares of land, adjacent Wakodi, but the task was stalled amid spiritual and biology objections. A municipal authoritative says onshore was allocated and funds earmarked, but operation ne'er began.
Licenses stopped being renewed aft 2014 accidental the fewer nutrient sellers who remain. They adhd that markets faced demolition, and buffalo nutrient consignments, ineligible nether State law, were often seized. Traders accidental peaceful protests were met with municipal action.
Faheem Qureshi, Supreme Court and Bombay High Court advocate, and nationalist president of the All India Jamiatul Quresh Action Committee, has raised concerns implicit an October 2025 circular of the Maharashtra Transport Commissioner, which details strict compliance with carnal payment laws. “It tin beryllium easy misused by cattle vigilante groups,” helium says.
During a three-month onslaught by nutrient traders from June to September 2025, cattle markets crossed Maharashtra, supported by Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh, were unopen down, and nutrient shops closed.
According to the Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics 2024, published by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, India is the fifth-largest nutrient shaper successful the world, with 10.25 cardinal tonnes of nutrient produced successful 2023–24. Buffalo nutrient dominates exports, with countries similar Vietnam, Malaysia, Egypt, and the UAE being the largest markets.
(Those successful distress tin interaction Tele MANAS astatine 14416 to question help)
