Gujarat: 'These are my babies. How can they accuse me of killing a cow?'

The atmosphere in 'Harijan Niwas' of Mota Samadhiyala village on Thursday was grim. Balu Veera Sarvaiya, 46, one of the five beaten up for skinning dead cows, had returned home after being discharged from the hospital. As he nurses his bleeding head, he holds on dearly to his pet cow 'Gori'. Another cow 'Gir' mooed gently in the shed. The little calf crouched playfully outside.

"These are my babies. A month ago, Gori fell terribly ill. She was pregnant. I tended to her for many a day and night. I even spent close to Rs 5,000 to get her treated by a veterinarian. How could they have mistaken me for killing a cow?" says Balu, while tending to his head injury. His back is replete with red and black abrasions. His back has reddened and is swollen. He was brutally beaten up by a mob of 40 self-proclaimed 'gau-rakshaks' on July 11, along with his two sons, Vishram (23) and Ramesh (17). His brother's son Ashok (17) and Besar (20) too were bashed up.

Of 4,000-odd population of the village, located in the Una taluka of Gir Somnath district in Gujarat, there are up to 30 Dalit or Harijan families. Their residence is on the outskirts of the one-kilometre circumference of the village.

They have been engaged in skinning of dead cows, also known as 'Utaaro' in Gujarati, since generations. A miniscule percentage of the population is Dalits, while a large number of upper-class Patel families, that own substantial tracts of lands, reside in the village. "Once the cows die, it is the Patels that call us to discard cow carcass. If it were not for us, who would clean up the bodies? The Patels refuse to touch or have anything to do with the dead cow," said Uga bhai, Besar's father.

After collecting and hoarding the dead cows onto open transport rickshaws, the animal bodies are ferried two kilometres away from the village to a remote spot in the thickets of the jungle for skinning by the Harijans. "Up to 22 Harijan families are on the roster maintained by the community. Whomsoever's turn arrives has to go and skin the cow," explains Balu. After every skinning, the family, that has carried out the job, is free to sell it to local dealers and receives Rs 400-500 for the job. Many families, however, do not like to be compelled to carry out the task. "I would rather work in the fields, and earn Rs 100-200 a day," said Hasmukh (35).

There is a cow death every 3-4 weeks in the village. "It is not like it fetches us a lot of money. I used to skin cows to earn extra bucks. In 2011, I bought an open rickshaw to transport carcasses by spending close to a lakh rupees. I raised loan and merged it with my savings. The hooligans have destroyed everything now," said Balu.

Six months ago, the village Sarpanch, Praful Jina Korat had warned Balu against carrying out skinning of cows. "The Patels believe that dead bodies of cows should not be mutilated. He warned me of severe repercussions," said Balu.

Despite utter poverty that stares in the face in 'Harijan Niwas', most houses own cattle. Socially outcaste, Harijans have been ostracised since years. "We have no representation in the village panchayat for the past 20 years; we are made to stand outside shops to collect utilities. Someone will come out and hand over stuff to us. We are not allowed inside places of worship. We have to worry about the safety of our women. Nothing has changed over the past seven decades," said Karsan Narayanbhai, a septuagenarian in the village.

On July 11, Balu recounts of having gotten a call at 7 am from a nearby village of Bediya, asking him to come and collect carcasses of two dead cows. "My sons Vishram and Ramesh went to Bediya along with Ashok, who was driving the rickshaw and Besar, who was helping them to load the dead cows into the transport. They went to the remote location and started dissecting the cows for extracting the skin. Out of nowhere, 40 men in their twenties and thirties emerged at the scene and started beating up the boys. I got a frantic call from villagers who were watching the brutality from the distance. When I rushed to the scene, I too was beaten up. This went on till 1 pm, after which we were forced to get inside a white Xylo vehicle. I managed to escape. My boys were dragged to the village square and beaten up more," said Balu.

While Balu was discharged on July 20, the other four are still recuperating in Rajkot-based government hospital. "They have regained consciousness but they cannot walk yet. Their injuries are gruesome," said Balu.

The villagers are living in a sense of fear now that their neighbours have been subjected to torture. "We want to give up skinning cows altogether. We were doing this as slaves. No more. It's a dirty business. Look at the price we had to pay," said Hasmukh.