Vegetarianism becomes an instrument of dominance

On September 2, 2024 at 9 pm, I returned from my visit to the slums of Badhra in Charkhi Dadri district of Haryana, where I had an opportunity to meet the communities affected by the tragic incidents involving 26-year-old Sabir, who was lynched on August 27, and his neighbour Asiruddin, 35, who sustained serious injuries in the attack. Details of this incident have been reported in the media.

There I met Deepak as well as several Bharat Jodo Yatris from Maharashtra and locals before we travelled to Badhra. In Badhra I came across two small clusters of jhuggis (shanties). The first cluster, located on the outskirts of the town, housed about ten Muslim families, mostly rag pickers, including Asiruddin, who was originally from Barpeta, Assam. The second cluster, located inside the town, was the home of Sabir and his family, who ran a kabadkhana (a junk shop).

Both clusters seemed eerily deserted, with only a few families from Assam living near the first cluster. Conversations with the residents revealed the following important findings:

1. On August 27, around 11 am, a mob of 40 to 50 cow protectors invaded the Assamese cluster, accusing them of cooking beef. They forcibly entered the kitchens, assaulted a man and thereafter targeted Asiruddin. Later the same day, around 3 pm, they approached Sabir's cluster and took him to another place on dubious pretexts, where he was brutally beaten. His body was later discovered elsewhere. A survivor from the Assam cluster mentioned that the previous day, someone among them had bought buffalo meat from a local shop.

3. Two Hindu Lohar (blacksmith) families lived in Sabir's neighborhood. However, they spoke little to Sabir. Wealthy neighbors also claimed to know nothing about him or the recent events. Local shopkeepers showed little concern about the tragic incident.

The brutality of the attackers is deeply disturbing, as is the apparent indifference of the local residents. The obsession with food habits masks a disturbing lack of empathy and humanity.

When vegetarianism becomes a means of asserting dominance, it degenerates into a means of humiliation and uncontrolled exploitation. Such behavior is a moral violation.