Barely days after the bovine controversy in Jaipur, in which chief minister Vasundhara Raje expressed regret to the artistes who were misbehaved by the police and fanatic Hindu organisation over an installation of cow, it was the turn of two government officials in Ajmer to face the ire of Hindu activists while the police took its time to reach the spot.
Angry over the death of eight cows in the government-run “goshala” (cow shelter), members of some Hindu organisations smeared grease on the faces of two officials of the Ajmer Municipal Corporation. They alleged the officials had been warned in the past about the lack of care of cows, resulting in the deaths in the last 10 days. According to them, the cows died from hunger due to lack of fodder.
Stray animals, mostly cows, are kept in a shelter home and the municipal corporation provides for their fodder. Interestingly, the BJP is in power in the Ajmer Municipal Corporation. All major committees, including finance, are headed by a BJP councillor, yet the protesters didn’t bother to raise the issue with the BJP mayor and deputy mayor of any other senior party functionary.
They attacked the corporation’s acting health officer Satyanarayan Sharma and revenue officer Bhagwan Bachchani who had come to the spot after hearing about the protest. They were rounded by the angry protesters who blackened their faces with grease. They even tried to parade them on a donkey, but the police reached the spot by then.
“There were some anti-social elements in the mob that smeared grease on my face when I went to the ‘goshala’ on information of the death of cows and subsequent protests,” Mr Sharma said. “They also misbehaved and blackened the face of revenue inspector who reached the spot after me,” he said.
“They misbehaved with the officers and blackened their faces. An FIR is being lodged,” the SHO said.
