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Banjaras vs Hindutva Gau rakshaks in Rajasthan

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Banjaras vs Hindutva Gau rakshaks in Rajasthan Empty Banjaras vs Hindutva Gau rakshaks in Rajasthan

Post by Guest Fri Nov 11, 2016 5:05 am

On the night of October 3, Goru, a Banjara, was returning to his village Bamkheda from a cattle fair in the Rajsamand district of Rajasthan when he was attacked by 17 members who claimed to be “gau rakshaks” or self-styled cow protection vigilantes. The attackers, said to be from the local unit of the Bajrang Dal – a militant rightwing organisation – demanded Rs 5,000 from Goru and other Banjaras accompanying him, accusing them of taking the cattle for slaughter. When they refused to pay up, the men beat them up, vandalised their truck and confiscated the six bullocks they had bought from the fair, which had been organised by the district administration.

Historians describe the Banjaras as a diverse community with progressive views on religion, family and gender. Though earlier concentrated in Rajasthan and Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, they have now spread to all parts of the country. As transporters of goods and services, the Bamaniya Banjaras of Rajasthan have a close historical connection with oxen. With the advent of motorised vehicles, many of them have become a part of the large precariat workforce, though some, like Goru, have continued to maintain connections to their past trade by purchasing oxen and selling them to farmers.

While the violence of the kind faced by Goru and his Banjara companions is not new to the community, this particular attack galvanised a movement against gau rakhaks – not unlike the uprising by Dalits in Gujarat after four youth from the community were flogged by cow-protection vigilantes in Una on July 11. A police case was registered, some of the attackers were arrested and the community came together in protest.

At the forefront of these Banjara agitations were women, over 1,000 of whom took out a protest rally in Rajsamand and, along with other people’s movements and campaigns from Rajasthan, organised a jan sunwai, or public hearing.

http://scroll.in/article/821047/how-an-assault-on-banjaras-by-gau-rakshaks-sparked-an-una-like-movement-in-rajasthan

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