Gau rakshaks kill man, Rajasthan Home Minister says both parties are to be blamed

Jaipur, April 5: Rajasthan Home Minister GC Kataria on Wednesday blamed both the victim as well as assailants for the killing of a Muslim man by cow vigilantes (gau rakshaks) in Alwar. A group of alleged gau rakshaks brutally assaulted five Muslim men in Rajasthan’s Alwar for transporting cows, following which one of them succumbed to his injuries. Speaking to ANI, Kataria said, “Dono side se hai jab malum hai ki Rajasthan se gau taskari nhi ho sakti kanoon bana hua hai. (Both parties are responsible. When they know that cow smuggling is illegal from Rajasthan, why did they do it.)” Kataria also said that a case has been registered against both parties – the cow smugglers as well as the vigilantes. “One died due to being beaten up. Police have registered a case against people smuggling cows and also over death of the man,” Kataria added.

The Rajasthan Home Minister’s comments came after Pehlu Khan, one of the men beaten up, succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday. According to reports, Pehlu Khan and his associates claimed that they were beaten up despite the fact that they were transporting their own cattle and had the necessary paperwork and permissions.