Farmer, family ostracised in Madhya Pradesh for killing cow ‘accidentally’

Pappu Prajapati said he was parking his tractor-trolley “when it hit a cow sitting on the ground behind”. The cow died on the spot.

Updated on: Jan 2, 2019, 21:08:59 IST

Hindustan Times, Bhopal | By Shruti Tomar

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A farmer and his family in Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh, 402 km north of Bhopal, have been ostracised from their village after the death of a cow in an accident on Tuesday, official sources said.

The decision to ostracise the family of Pappu Prajapati (36) was taken by the village panchayat on Tuesday evening.

The panchayat members, led by village sarpanch Pancham Singh Chauhan, announced that the family would be allowed to enter the village only when all the members take a dip in the holy Ganga, organise a mass feast after a ‘Kanya and Brahman Bhoj’ and donate a cow.

Prajapati said he was parking his tractor-trolley “when it hit a cow that was sitting on the ground behind”. “The cow died on the spot. The villagers called a panchayat terming death of the cow as a gau-hatya (murder of cow).”

Prajapati said his pleading before the panchayat went in vain and they pronounced the punishment.

One of the members of the panchayat, Om Prakash Gautam said: “Since Prajapati has been proved guilty of a gau-hatya, he and his family have to get rid of sin through penance.”

However, Sheopur district additional collector Rajendra Rai said: “We have not received any information in this regard but we will look into this matter and take required action.”

Prajapati has left the village with his family to take a dip in the Ganga.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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