As the festival of Eid al-Adha or Bakrid approaches, right-wing groups and cow vigilantes in Telangana are once again holding a series of protests against cow slaughter across the state, particularly in and around Hyderabad. The Telangana unit of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has announced that they will be holding protests at different police stations across Telangana on Tuesday, June 13, and another protest at Hyderabad’s Dharna Chowk on Wednesday morning.
"We will be holding protests against cow slaughter in front of different police stations across Telangana on Tuesday, and on Wednesday, we will be holding one at Dharna Chowk at 11 am," said S Kailash, convener of VHP in Telangana. He also claimed that the VHP works in tandem with Hyderabad police at police check posts set up on the outskirts of Hyderabad to check incoming vehicles carrying cattle ahead of Bakrid. “If any trader is transporting cattle that are not fit for slaughter or violating any other rules, the animals are seized and sent to private gau shalas (cow shelters),” Kailash told TNM.
With several recurring incidents of cow vigilantism in Telangana that tend to intensify during Muslim festivals like Bakrid, in recent years, the Hyderabad police have issued warnings to animal activists and right-wing groups, asking them not to chase vehicles carrying cattle for sacrifice on Bakrid. Last year too, Hyderabad Police Commissioner CV Anand held a meeting with cow vigilante groups ahead of Bakrid, asking them not to indulge in tailgating vehicles carrying cattle and harassing cattle transporters, and to refrain from intervening at police check posts.
At the same time, the attendees were also apprised of “stringent measures” taken up by Hyderabad police to stop any illegal transport of livestock. The vigilantes were asked to pass on any information about illegal activities, assuring them of a quick response. Senior police officials and representatives of organisations such as Love for Cow, Telangana Goshala, Cow Gyan Foundation, VHP and Bajrang Dal attended the meeting.
Last year, police check posts were set up in various areas across the city ahead of Bakrid — including areas with a predominantly Muslim population such as Moazzam Jahi Market, Mirchowk, Kanchan Bagh, Chandrayangutta, and Bahadurpur — to check illegal transport of cattle.