A leading Muslim organisation in Lucknow, the capital of UP, has urged the Muslim community not to sacrifice white-coloured animals during Bakrid as the cow vigilantes might mistake it for cow slaughter.
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The organisation called Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, published advertisements on the front page of a few Urdu newspapers, with a four-point advisory on how to celebrate the festival.
The annual festival, known as the "Sacrifice Feast" and is as old as Islam, is being celebrated on Saturday. However, this is the first time that a Muslim organisation is coming out with such an advertisement in UP.
The directive gains significance in the wake of increasing incidents of cow vigilantism in India. Despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi decrying violence in the name of cow, there was no dearth of reports of excesses by "Gau Rakshaks" or the cow vigilantes. The prime minister had warned against killing people over cow protection.
UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who is facing criticism for the disturbing rise in the incidents of lynching by the cow vigilantes in the state, had also urged people not to take law into their own hands.
However, such warnings have apparently evoked no desirable response in the state.
A few days ago, municipal workers of Lucknow bore the brunt of aggression by the vigilantes for simply doing their job. The civic workers were catching stray cows when a mob mistook them for cow traders and attacked them. The mob thought that the workers were taking the cows for slaughter, reported NDTV.
Municipal employees have been subjected to similar harassements from cow protectors several times in the past six months.
Thus, in a bid to avoid straining nerves further in the sensitive issue, the Muslim body issued the guidelines in UP, a state where Muslims make up one-fifth of the total population.
"Kisi bhi halat main safed janwar ki qurbani na karein (under no circumstances should you sacrifice white animal)," read the advisory.
It also asked the Muslim community to seek help from elders and the administration if in case they were harassed by troublemakers.
In fact, the UP Police headquarters has also issued a detailed advisory on cattle sacrifice during Bakrid. The police will be keeping vigil at cattle markets, to ensure that no prohibited animal is sold for sacrifice.
Security has been beefed up in the state capital in view of the festival.
UP is not the only state reeling under the tension of cow vigilantism on Bakrid. In early August, Shadaab Patel, a social activist, had filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Bombay High Court, seeking a 24-hour helpline number to prevent the killing of innocent people by cow vigilantes during the festival.
