Passion for PASA

The Keshubhai Patel ministry in Gujarat has shown remarkable enthusiasm inhonouring its pre-election promise of banning cow slaughter in t...

The Keshubhai Patel ministry in Gujarat has shown remarkable enthusiasm inhonouring its pre-election promise of banning cow slaughter in the state. Ithas not only banned cow slaughter but has made it punishable under thedraconian Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Act (PASA).

The relevant Bill passed by the Gujarat Assembly seems to have fulfilled along-felt need as can be inferred from the vociferous support it evoked fromboth the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress. As reports have it, thelone dissent came from an independent member who, too, did not question theneed for the legislation but only expressed concern over the possibleharassment of the minority community in the name of cow protection. Thelegislator, perhaps, had the recent ugly pre-Bakrid incidents in Ahmedabadin mind, in which one person was killed, when he made bold to express hisreservations over the Bill. Given the all-round enthusiasm for the cause ofcow in Gujarat, one can presume that cow and its progeny will no longer beslaughtered in the state. But what about the incident that happened inVirpur village, not very far from Gandhinagar, a few days ago? The veryHouse, which passed the Bill on Wednesday, was witness to uproarious scenesthe previous day over the incident which will shock all animal lovers in thecountry.

In a cattle camp at Virpur, as many as 886 cattle, including 133 cows, diedfor want of grass and fodder. The Speaker had a tough time controlling theCongress members who were agitated over the fate that befell the haplesscattle. The government explanation that the camp at Virpur was not a propergovernment-sponsored goshala and that the government could not, therefore,be blamed for the tragic deaths did not carry conviction with the members,who forced the harassed Speaker to adjourn the House several times. Nor doesthe assurance that fodder would be rushed to Virpur to save the remainingcattle have much effect. The point to ponder is how the state is going toensure that other cattle do not meet with the same fate. If cow protectionis really the government’s intention, it must take every measure to provideadequate fodder and water to all the cattle in the state.

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It cannot be gainsaid that many of those who vociferously speak against cowslaughter do not show much enthusiasm when it comes to feeding the animalsonce they have been rendered old and unproductive. In fact, many of them arethe very ones who secretly sell the cattle to the butchers, in the firstplace. What logically follows from this is that those who do not feed theanimals and allow them to die a slow death as they did at Virpur should alsoattract the provisions of PASA.

Cows that are abandoned by the owners are left to roam around, unattended.The streets of every city and town in the country are witness to cowswandering at will amidst the traffic and eating at garbage dumps. Theplastic bags they ingest as a result can sometimes cause painful deaths.

Since Gujarat’s legislators have decided in their abundant wisdom to protectcows and their progeny at any cost, they must also ensure that they are notput to slow death. Let the PASA be deployed against all those who stand inthe way of cow protection, including those who quietly push their cattle outonce they have lost their productivity.