Beef vigilantes should be punished: Ramdas Athawale

Union minister of social justice and empowerment Ramdas Athawale on Friday created a stir by saying that beef vigilantes should be severely punished for breaking the law. "No one has the right to be a nar-bhakshak (man-eater) by being a gau-rakshak (cow-protector). These people are indulging in goondaism; they do not care about cows," Athawale told DNA over the phone from Mumbai.

"No one has the right to take the law into their hands. If you think that someone is breaking the law, then they should head to the police station. There have been instances where a man is beaten up because he's carrying buffalo meat. There have also been instances where people have called these vigilante groups to settle scores," said Athawale. He pointed to the case of a man who was beaten up in Nagpur early this week in suspicion of carrying beef.

"It is not possible for a farmer to take care of a cattle all through its life. When a cow can no longer produce milk, farmers tend to sell them to the slaughterhouses. With the new law in place, farmers are finding it hard to cope," he said.