Hyderabad: Tension prevailed at the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) office at Koti on Monday afternoon when the police foiled attempts by the right wing organization to take out a rally to the Old City to protest against the alleged sale of cows.
Several VHP members had gathered at the office on Monday afternoon holding saffron flags and they tried to take out a march towards the Old City. Over the years, days leading up to Eid-ul-Adha or Bakrid have become grounds for several vigilantes or gau rakshaks to target people or traders who trasport cattle for the festival.
Organisations like the VHP also get more active and often create a ruckus alleging sale of cow for slaughter, which is not permissible according to the law in Telangana. However, cattle traders have been also avoiding the purchase of cows and generally purchase or sell oxen, bulls or buffaloes. However, gau rakshaks often stop any vehicle transporting cattle and in spite of police intervention mostly are successful in making traders lose their cattle.
On Monday, the VHP had given a ‘Chalo Old City’ rally call alleging that cattle including cows and calves were sold illegally in markets for Eid-ul-Adha or Bakrid. Policemen who were deployed in huge numbers at the VHP office swooped in on the protestors and took them into custody.
All of them were shifted into police vehicles and taken to different police stations. Senior officials of the police department were present at the VHP office to supervise the security arrangements.
In Hyderabad however complaints from traders about organized gangs and corrupt policemen extorting them unabated in the run up to Bakrid. A few weeks before Bakrid, cattle markets are set up at Jalpally, Pahadishareef, Rajendranagar, Chanchalguda, Falaknuma, Barkas, Tolichowki, Khilwat, Petlaburj, Langer Houz, Bandlaguda, Jahanuma playground, Mallepally, and Yakutpura.
