Members of various Muslim organisations on Monday staged a protest outside the district collector’s office, demanding that the cow be declared a national animal.
The agitation was organised by the Muslim Mulnivasi Manch and other groups, which submitted a memorandum to district collector Jitendra Dudi.
Anjum Inamdar, president, Muslim Mulnivasi Manch, said that organisations across the country were raising the same demand. According to him, declaring the cow a national animal would make its protection the responsibility of government agencies and help prevent incidents of violence in the name of cow protection.
“Many Muslims are being targeted over cow-related issues and incidents of mob lynching have taken place in different parts of the country. If the cow is declared a national animal, it will become the responsibility of the government machinery to protect it. This can also help strengthen fraternity between Hindus and Muslims,” Inamdar said.
He said that a large section of Indians considers the cow sacred and that some groups allegedly misuse the issue to target Muslim youths.
“If the cow is declared a national animal, government agencies — and not self-styled groups — will be responsible for its protection. This will help prevent attacks in the name of cow safety,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“If the cow is declared a national animal, government agencies — and not self-styled groups — will be responsible for its protection. This will help prevent attacks in the name of cow safety,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Police said the protest remained peaceful and no untoward incident was reported.