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Haryana elections: In Mewat, cow vigilantism remains key electoral issue
A loudspeaker perched atop an auto-rickshaw in Nuh announces on the loop that soon there will be an end to “terror of cow vigilantes”.
A loudspeaker perched atop an auto-rickshaw in Nuh announces on the loop that soon there will be an end to “terror of cow vigilantes” , claiming that the Congress is coming to power in Haryana after a decade. The party will put an end to cow vigilantism, besides tackling social and educational backwardness of the Muslim-dominated Mewat region in southern Haryana, Congress leaders said.
Nearly a third of the total 930 cases related to cow vigilantism registered in Haryana since 2021 are in Nuh district, where Muslims constitute 79% of the population, as per the 2011 Census, and have resulted in four deaths and 17 injuries . Overall, 1,437 people have been arrested in these cases, but only five have seen convictions. Police cite lack of evidence and witnesses turning hostile as reasons for the low conviction.
Nuh district has three assembly constituencies — Nuh, Punhana, and Ferozepur Jhirka. In the 2019 assembly elections, all three were won by the Congress, with Aftab Ahmed winning from Nuh, Mamman Khan from Ferozepur Jhirka and Mohammad Ilyas from Punhana. The Congress has repeated them as candidates from the three seats in the October 5 polls. The Congress won 31 of the 90 seats in the assembly last time, running the Bharatiya Janata Party close. The latter won 40, and ended up depending on the support of the JJP, which won 10 seats, to form a government. The partners broke up earlier this year.
Khan was arrested on September 14 last year on charges of spreading fake news related to communal riots in Nuh the previous month, in which a Hindu religious procession was targeted after three provocative videos against Muslims were released by cow vigilantes on social media — two by Mohit Yadav, alias Manu Manesar, and another by Raj Kumar, aka Bittu Bajrangi.
The violence that spread to several parts of the state, including Gurugram, resulted in death of eight people and injuries to 88 others. Khan was the 331st suspect, but the most high-profile person arrested in the case. He was later booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, or UAPA, for allegedly inciting communal violence. The Congress leader was released on bail on October 18, 2023. The trial in the case is yet to begin.
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“We cannot let these vigilante groups run riot. We will ensure that these cow vigilante groups are not allowed to enter Nuh,” Aftab Ahmed, the outgoing Congress legislator who has been renominated from Nuh, told his supporters at a poll rally on Thursday. He said cow vigilantes have created an atmosphere of fear in the community with “innocent” people involved in cow trade getting assaulted and, in some cases, even killed.
Aizaz Khan, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Punhana, tried to tread cautiously, saying the government has arrested people for attack on cow traders and there is no place for “violence” in his party’s “culture”.
“Not even a single mob lynching case has been reported from Nuh in the last many years. Action has also been taken against cattle thieves and those involved in illegal slaughtering as per law,” he claimed, blaming the media for the bad press the BJP has received.
Cong, BJP support base
Many families whose members were attacked by cow vigilante groups have come out in support of the Congress candidates.
Imran Khan, whose brother Warish Khan was allegedly beaten to death by a vigilante group on January 28, 2023 in Nuh, sees the Congress as the only hope . “We believe Congress will stand by us,” he said.
Anguri Begum, who lost her son Pehlu Khan in the attack by cow vigilantes in April 2017, said they are still waiting for justice. All six accused in the case were acquitted in 2020.
Asmeena, wife of Rakbar Khan (28), who died while receiving treatment for grievous injuries suffered in an assault by a vigilante group in neighbouring Alwar district in Rajasthan in the early hours of July 21, 2018, has been campaigning for the Congress.
“My life turned topsy-turvy because of these goons and the government gave them a licence to kill,” she claimed.
The cow vigilantes, however, seem to have the support of a section of the Hindu community.
Vikram Chauhan, a grocery store owner in Nuh, said the cow vigilantes are doing what the government should have done a long time ago. “Protecting cows is our duty, and they (the vigilantes) are just ensuring that no one disrespects our beliefs. I respect their work and believe they are defending our culture and traditions. We need more people like them to keep our religious values intact.”
Pushpa Maheshwari, a resident of Ferozepur Jhirka, said he supports the BJP as the party helps cow vigilante groups to protect cattle. “The cow is like our mother, and protecting them is the responsibility of every Hindu.”
Abhishek Gaur, a senior member of a local cow protection group, defended their action, claiming they were not there to “spread fear” but to protect their “religious values.” He claimed they stepped in as the government has not done enough to protect cows. “If the authorities can’t handle the issue, we will.”
Cow vigilantism a poll issue
Members of both Hindu and Muslim communities in Nuh admitted that cow vigilantism is definitely a poll issue — one that has created law and order issues in the district. Clear rules and better enforcement of cow trade rules can help in curbing the incidents of violence, they said.
The BJP’s poll campaign in the only Muslim-dominated region of the state centres around development of infrastructure and industrial growth. The party is already claiming credit for the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, which passes through Nuh district, and for building over a dozen educational institutes and upgrading local hospitals.
“The development in Nuh is visible like never before. All roads are paved and every village has a drinking water supply,” Naseem Ahmad, BJP candidate from Ferozepur Jhirka, said.
The Congress’s Mamman Khan, besides talking about security, also points to lack of education and infrastructure in the district in his campaign. “Many of our schools don’t have enough teachers. This affects the future of our children. Education is a priority for me, and I will work to ensure that every school is adequately staffed and equipped.”
Most backward district
Nuh is among the most backward districts in Haryana with a 54.08% literacy rate, way below the state average of 75.6%; infant mortality rate of 32 per 1,000 births as compared to 28 across the state; and per capita income of ₹45,934 as compared to ₹3,25,758 for the state.
In Nuh, the Congress pulls majority votes from Muslim-dominated towns such as Nuh, Punhana, and Firozpur Jhirka while the BJP gets support in Pataudi, Bawal, and Sohna. In 2019, Aftab Ahmed defeated his BJP rival Zakir Hussain by 4,038 votes in Nuh; Mamman Khan defeated BJP’s Naseem Ahmed by 37,004 votes in Ferozepur Jhirka; and Mohammad Illiyas defeated BJP candidate Nauksham by 13,671 votes in Punhana. In the upcoming polls, the BJP has repeated Naseem Ahmed (Ferozepur Jhirka) and fielded Aizaz Khan and Sanjay Singh from Punhana and Nuh, respectively.
