J&K: 'Gau Rakshaks' attack nomad family; police tries to downplay the incident

Srinagar: The police in Jammu and Kashmir are searching for a group of hooligans involved in an attack on a nomad family and ‘looting’ of the livestock it was moving with through the State’s Reasi district.

The hooligans calling themselves ‘gau rakshaks’ allegedly attacked the family with iron rods and sticks, leaving five of its members including a 9-year-old girl injured. The attack took place in Reasi’s Talwara area during the intervening night of April 20 and 21, the officials said.

The police sources in winter capital Jammu said that the accused are members of a self-styled group of cow vigilante who were joined by a mob to attack the family. Counter FIRs have been lodged at the concerned police station and the police sources said that five of the accused have been identified.

Reasi’s SSP Tahir Sajjad Bhat, however, sought to downplay the incident saying it was a “clear cut” case of misunderstanding and that no cow vigilante group was involved in it.

A police official told this correspondent privately that the police are reluctant to lay their hands on the culprits as that could create a law and order problem in the area. Earlier reports had said that four of the five accused were arrested by the police after their identification.

The incident has evoked widespread anger among Muslim population of the region particularly nomad Gujjar and Bakerwal tribes who have urged the authorities to take the assailants to task. Various political, social and religious organisations have endorsed the demand.

Five members of the nomad family including 9-year-old girl Sammi Jaan were injured in the attack. The victims told the police that they were intercepted by a large group of ‘gau rakshaks’ and attacked with iron rods and sticks. The assailants then took their entire flock including cattle, sheep and goats.

The police officials said that the livestock was recovered during police raids and has since been restored to the Bakerwal or goatherds family. The injured who have suffered multiple fractures were admitted to hospital and, according to the SSP, have since been discharged.

The victim family said that the assailants did not spare even the elderly and small children.

Notwithstanding the SSP Reasi’s seeking to shrug the incident off by calling it an outcome of some misunderstanding, the sources said that the family was attacked apparently because the livestock it was moving with included 16 cows.

“But that is routine with the nomadic herder families called Bakerwalls which move from place to place with the change in season,” said one of the officials. J&K’s DGP Shesh Paul Vaid, had earlier assured strict action against the accused.

A report from Reasi said that the police officials and the district authorities are trying their hard “to sort the issue through persuasion” as they do not want to see it flaring up in view of the existing tensions in Kashmir Valley and, therefore, have sought to play it down before the media.