The "cow watchers" suspected that he was transporting cattle. The episode takes place a few hours after the Supreme Court ruling suspending the ban on beef. The issue of cows is fracturing Indian society.
Mumbai (AsiaNews) – Another lynching has taken place in India for the protection of "sacred cows". It happened yesterday in the Bharsingi area of Nagpur (Maharashtra) where Ismail Shah, a 40-year-old Muslim man, was attacked by a crowd of "gau rakshaks", suspecting he was transporting cattle. This is the latest episode of violence perpetrated by Hindu fundamentalists who want their sacred animal to be revered by the entire Indian population, including minorities.
In India the issue of cows is causing serious fractures in society. Analysts report that since the rise to power of premier Narendra Modi, exponent of Hindu nationalist party Bharatiya Janata Party, Hindutva's extremist positions have gained new vigor. In addition to the famous "homecoming", that is to the return to the Hindu religion by those who converted to other confessions, and the "saffronization" of culture, with the emphasis on Hindu traditions, the subject that is recently stirring most clamor is the ban on slaughter of cows for beef, of which India is the world’s biggest exporter.
This restriction on meat and leather trade has further reinvigorated the radical positions of cow protectors, who have become the protagonists of numerous episodes of intolerance towards the Muslim minority, the most involved in trade and cattle breeding. To reduce the tension between religious groups, after months of silence, Prime Minister Modi also intervened, trying to pacify fundamentalists. However, his position was not enough to prevent the outbreaks of violence, as evidenced by the lynching of the Muslim in Maharashtra. It takes place a few hours after the Supreme Court ruling, which the other day (11 July) decided to suspend the ban on meat. In their decision, judges have been driven by popular protests and numerous (even provocative) initiatives at a civilian level.
Gau Rakshaks attack again; Nagpur man beaten up... by oneindia