Father, Son And Holy Cow
Tehelka|October 17 2015
The politics of save the cow claimed one more life not far from the national capital. Anurag Tripathi finds out how it became easier to kill a man rather than a cow in this western UP village.
Anurag Tripathi
Father, Son And Holy Cow

It will soon be 8 pm. There is a nip in the air. Clearly, the days ahead are going to get colder. And here in Bisada, a village near Dadri town in Gautam Budh Nagar district, barely 70 km from New Delhi, the coldness is also one of death. Death and its silence. It is the coldness of a village divided. A divide marked by blood.

Warm weather would not have made it any different. For this is the village where 50-year-old resident Mohammad Akhlaq was lynched by a mob of Hindus and his 22-year-old son Danish critically wounded. As Danish fights for his life in an ICU, Bisada has changed, perhaps forever.

The scene at the makeshift tea stall at the entrance of the village is a telltale sign of the change that overwhelmed the village before the people could reflect on what was happening to them. How things can change in a matter of days. It took just a week, after all, to transform a village where people believing in two different faiths lived together for centuries, into a breeding ground for hatred.

The shop has been closed since that fateful evening of 28 September when Akhlaq was killed. But its clientele continue to stop by at their usual times to check if things have “limped back to normalcy” at the tea stall. “This was our daily meeting place since the past 30 years. There was never a day when we didn’t meet here,” says Roopchand, a 70-year-old farmer. “Family matters to national politics, we would discuss everything over cups of extra-sweet tea. But we never discussed religion. In fact, we barely noticed that half of us were Hindus and the rest Muslims.”

Every day in the past week, Roopchand has arrived at the right time for that cup of tea with friends, but only to find the shop closed. “The social fabric of this village has been torn beyond repair,” he says. “It will take ages before Bisada can be Bisada again.”

Denne historien er fra October 17 2015-utgaven av Tehelka.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra October 17 2015-utgaven av Tehelka.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA TEHELKASe alt
Why Did Ratan Tata Feel Compelled To Take Charge Again?
Tehelka

Why Did Ratan Tata Feel Compelled To Take Charge Again?

Did Cyrus Mistry fall victim to an ossified corporate culture or did he violate Tata Sons’ ethos and culture? MG BanGa tells the story so far.

time-read
10+ mins  |
30 November 2016
Misguided Youths Or Trained Terrorists?
Tehelka

Misguided Youths Or Trained Terrorists?

As part of a dangerous trend emerging across the world, homegrown ISIL sympathisers are willing and attempting to carry out deadly terror attacks without any comprehensive support system.

time-read
5 mins  |
July 31 2016
Indian Railways: Living In Dreams
Tehelka

Indian Railways: Living In Dreams

Indian Railways is changing track, giving up its separate Budget and experimenting with surge pricing on three popular trains. That leaves the behemoth with no funds to replace ageing assets and encourage further investments.

time-read
10+ mins  |
31 October 2016
Priyanka Gandhi Agreed To Play Bigger Role In UP
Tehelka

Priyanka Gandhi Agreed To Play Bigger Role In UP

Further delay in decision making could be detrimental to the party’s goal to rejuvenate its prospects in the State Assembly elections.

time-read
4 mins  |
July 15 2016
Mission 2019: Banega Swachh India?
Tehelka

Mission 2019: Banega Swachh India?

Two years ago, Modi kicked off a cleanliness drive in a spectacular way. Showing the contrast between world cities and Gurgaon, MG BANGA suggests ways in which the mission can be accomplished by 2019.

time-read
7 mins  |
September 15 2016
The Goodwill Enjoyed By Mehabooba Mufti Has Been Erased!
Tehelka

The Goodwill Enjoyed By Mehabooba Mufti Has Been Erased!

Mehbooba Mufti risks losing her popularity and irking her party ranks by using New Delhi’s rulebook to deal with the unrest in Kashmir.

time-read
8 mins  |
August 31 2016
Is China's Support To Pakistan, Big Threat To India?
Tehelka

Is China's Support To Pakistan, Big Threat To India?

New Delhi needs to be cautious as in Pakistan’s scheme of things, strategic ties with China can serve as a powerful weapon to deal with adversaries like India.

time-read
4 mins  |
August 15 2016
Panama Papers: Nawaz Sharif'S Troubles Escalate
Tehelka

Panama Papers: Nawaz Sharif'S Troubles Escalate

After his name surfaced in the Panama paper leak following several other charges of money laundering filed against him, there is pressure on Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif to resign.

time-read
5 mins  |
30 November 2016
This Potus Will Make The World Go Bust
Tehelka

This Potus Will Make The World Go Bust

The man who believes global warming is a hoax and has a short attention span will now preside over the affairs not just of the United States but of the whole world. A daunting prospect.

time-read
9 mins  |
30 November 2016
Reel-Life Bohemians, Real-Life Hyprocrites
Tehelka

Reel-Life Bohemians, Real-Life Hyprocrites

ADHM vs Palm Grove Heights: In cinematic life, two strangers Ranbir and Anushka meet in a pub in London and go on a kissing spree while in actual life back in India, a woman from Barcelona was evicted from her male friend’s home in Gurugram. Is cinema really a mirror of society?

time-read
4 mins  |
30 November 2016