Mumbai (AsiaNews) - "The increasing attacks against transporters of cattle in Karnataka by Hindu radicals is a problem that must be stopped as soon as possible", Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) denounces to AsiaNews, after the last episode on 2 October in Bantwal.
A group of Sangh Parivar activists followed and chased a truck carrying cows off the road, and attacked the men who were on board. The victims, Basheer and Siddiq, are hospitalized in critical condition in a private hospital in Mangalore.
Hindu radicals are pressuring the Indian government - led by their political wing the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) - to prohibit the slaughter and sale of cattle across the nation. In Hinduism, the cow is considered sacred and it is forbidden to kill it and eat it. However, being a secular country under the Constitution, in some Indian states cow meet is permitted.
Despite this, for the moment, the National Democratic Alliance - a coalition to guide the central government, led by the BJP - seem opposed to such a ban. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the executive would prefer "effective protection for cows, instead of imposing a ban on their slaughter".
These would include Karnataka. "There are no restrictions on the transport of cattle - said Sajan George - but the authorities seem to be blind and not see the many physical attacks against these cattle transporters. Most of these attacks are perpetrated by a 'moral police' who intervene even before the real police. "