Mumbai: For over a month, butchers from the Muslim Qureshi community have been leading a unique protest across Maharashtra. In the face of violent attacks from self-proclaimed “gau rakshaks” or “cow protectors” in the last decade, members of the community have decided to indefinitely stop dealing in buffalo or other bovine meat.
The decision, born of desperation, comes despite the fact that it directly impacts their livelihood and marks what is possibly the first time that such a coordinated and massive resistance to the violence is being seen from within the community.
The community’s condition, members say, has worsened with the amendment to the Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act of 1976 in March 2015. The amendment, which received presidential approval after the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in both the state and Union governments, banned the slaughter of animals belonging to the cow progeny in the state. This amendment prohibited the slaughter of bulls, bullocks, oxen, and cows for meat. Shortly after this change in the law, violence by Hindutva men claiming to be cow protectors also increased dramatically.
‘Almost everyone in the community has been attacked’
Helpless and targeted, the Qureshis – a marginalised Muslim community – under the banner of the Qureshi Jamaat, have been holding meetings at district and taluka levels across Maharashtra to convince the community to abandon the profession entirely. “Our condition is already dire. We need to do this to show the government the impact our decision will have, not just on us but also on the farming community of the state,” said Aziz Qureshi, who heads the Qureshi Jamat in Nanded.
The boycott campaign began in Nagpur over a month ago and gradually spread across the state. Almost every day, an event or two is being organised across districts. The community is also deliberating on how to overcome the economic setback that they are suffering with the boycott in effect.
Earlier this week in Nanded, many men engaged in butchering gathered at the district headquarters. “Almost everyone has experienced being apprehended, harassed, or violently attacked by Hindutva men,” Aziz claims. He says these attacks have persisted even though butchers in the district have long stopped dealing in beef. “Buffaloes are not banned, but it doesn’t matter to the attackers. All they see is a Muslim man dealing in meat; and that’s enough for them to launch themselves at him. Most of these attacks are done in connivance with local police,” alleged one butcher, who was brutally beaten last year. He claimed the police refused to register his complaint even though videos of the attack were circulated across social media platforms.
Laws of the land
Buffalo slaughter, under the amended law, is subject to restrictions. Before a buffalo can be slaughtered, the owner must obtain a certificate from a veterinary doctor confirming that the buffalo is unfit for milking and not pregnant. Only with this ‘fitness certificate’ can buffaloes be sent to a slaughterhouse.
This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here.