Pehlu Khan’s killing has also created a sense of alienation in his village and Muslim dairy farmers say their livelihood has been hit.
Jaisinghpur (Mewat): Jabunia Khan is a broken woman. On this day last year, her dairy farmer husband Pehlu Khan was killed by a mob in Alwar, Rajasthan, on the suspicion that he was smuggling cattle for slaughter.
Their young sons Irshad and Aarif, both in their 20s, were beaten up ruthlessly too, but survived. But life hasn’t been the same again and Jabunia isn’t sure if it will be ever.
She breaks down at the very mention of her husband’s name, and struggles between sobs to recount the nightmare the last year has been.
Until April last year, the family ran a fairly thriving dairy farming business. But today, all their cattle is gone. Jabunia and Pehlu’s sons have been charged with cattle smuggling, but they have little money to get by, let alone fight their legal battles.
Irshad is still recovering from injuries sustained in the attack, but he is more upset by what he says is the unfairness of it all.
“We had bought the cattle from a fair in Jaipur. We had all the papers to prove the cows were meant only for milking, but no one listened to us,” he told ThePrint, as the family gathered in what used to be Pehlu Khan’s room.
A layer of dust covers the furniture in the room, suggesting disuse. However, although unoccupied, the room has served as a sanctuary for the grieving family, who often find their way here to reflect on the road ahead.
“My father hasn’t got justice, and now we have a case against us,” Irshad adds.
The brutal attack
On 1 April 2017, Pehlu, Irshad and Aarif, along with their neighbours Azmat and Rafiq, and the driver of their vehicle, Arjun, were on their way back from a cattle fair in Jaipur when a mob waylaid their vehicle in Alwar.
It was suspected that the men were transporting cattle for slaughter, and the mob, baying for blood, didn’t give the victims a chance to explain themselves, it was reported.
Pehlu, Irshad, Aarif, Rafiq and Azmat were attacked, but Arjun was reportedly let off because of his religion. Clips from the viral video of the episode show Pehlu pleading with the men for mercy.
Two days later, Pehlu died of his injuries in hospital, but not before he named six suspects in his police complaint — Naveen, Om Prakash, Hukum Chand, Sudhir Yadav, Jagmal Yadav, Rahul Saini.
But the six men have been let off after their mobile phone location allegedly placed them away from the scene of the crime on the date, but nine others are on trial. Seven of them are out on bail, while two others were not caught.
Meanwhile, Pehlu and the five others with him have been charged with cow smuggling, as has Arjun’s father Jagdish Prasad, the owner of the vehicle.
The plight of Muslim dairy farmers
Pehlu Khan’s killing and the events that followed have also created a sense of alienation among the Muslims of Jaisinghpur, a village of roughly 8,000 residents. “Because we are Muslim, no one believes us when we wish to purchase cows for milk,” said Jameel Ahmed, a local doctor.
“When we do, we can see people pointing at us, saying, ‘Look a Muslim is buying a cow’.”
Gaushalas allegedly do not patronise Muslim farmers either.
Where the farmers of the village collectively sold 2,500 litres of milk each month, sales have averaged 1,000 litres lower since Pehlu’s death.
Sube Khan, a dairy farmer, is among those forced to look for alternatives to earn his livelihood. “There are so many from our village who have been caught by the police for no reason,” he said. “This is why I am trying to take care of the little bit of land that I have.”
Locals recall how police have raided several weddings over “tip-offs” about beef being on the menu, allegations that have always turned out to be wrong.
Campaign for justice
Pehlu Khan was not the first victim of self-styled cow vigilantes, or the last, dismissed by many within the Hindutva fold as troublemakers and criminals, with attacks reported from as far away as Jharkhand & Jammu & Kashmir.
The attacks have triggered fear among people involved in the cattle trade. With one community bearing the brunt, the communal overtones of the assaults are hard to miss.
Social activist Harsh Mander is among those trying to counter the culture of hatred many fear is ruining India’s proud tradition of tolerance and freedom.
Mander was in Jaisinghpur last week as part of his ‘Karwan-e-mohabbat’, an initiative he has launched to seek justice for the victims of hate. Through ‘Karwan’, which has been on a countrywide journey, Mander is using dialogue and conversations to encourage victims of cow vigilantes to speak up.
“Pehlu, Junaid, Afrazul, and Akhlaq must be brought to justice,” he said, talking to village elders in Jaisinghpur and referring to victims of alleged Hindu radicals. “Because, if they aren’t, the lesser-known victims will only lose hope. You have to continue this fight, no matter what.”