Cow vigilantes kill lone breadwinner of family in J&K

Tucked away amid the awe-inspiring mountains at Jammu and Kashmir's Baderwah town, the single-storied house of Nayeem Ahmad Shah, who was killed by cow vigilantes on May 16, has been witnessing a rush of mourners. Inside one of the small, uncluttered rooms, Shah's four daughters and 17-year-old son are all in tears.

"They killed our father. Now we are left with nothing," mumbled Humaira, the youngest daughter of Shah.

On May 16, after eating her pre-dawn meals in view of the holy month of Ramzan, Humaira, a BA final year student, started revising political science. She had her examination barley a few hours later. Around 9 am, some deafening shrills outside her house shattered the morning silence. Humaira rushed out of her house and saw what she said "brought the world crashing down upon her.

"I heard one of my cousins saying that my father has been killed by vigilantes," Humaira said.

Shah, an ordinary cattle trader, along with his four other associates, had gone to Sarthel, a five-six hours walk from Doda district's Baderwah town, on the other side of a gigantic mountain on May 13 to buy some cattle.

After long hours of walking, they had stayed at Sarthel for a day - on May 14 - and after buying some cattle next day in the evening, they started their journey towards home.

"My father was very religious and he would never miss a fast in Ramzan. So he wanted to be home before Suhoor, the pre-dawn meal eaten during Ramzan. That is why they left for home in the very evening," Humaira said.

As they reached near Nalthi area around 1.30 am, now barely a few kilometers short of home, some cow vigilantes surfaced out of the blue and started training their flash lights on them. After shouting out a stream of expletives at them, some one among them fired a few bullets at them.

A bullet hit Shah near the eye while another one grazed his head. And soon the assailants vanished in the dark of the night.

"After he was fired upon, he had asked his fellow men to run away to save their lives and he tried to hobble behind them," recounted a family member.

Shah, however, soon fell while one of his associates informed the Shah’s nephew over the phone.

"I, along with some neighbours, rushed to the spot and found his lifeless body lying in a pool of blood," said Shah's nephew Ananyat.

He said that they did not touch the body and informed the police who retrieved the body from the scene.

The family and relatives of the Shah blamed the right wing cow vigilantes for the killing.

"Cow vigilantes killed him. They have made our life hell here," said a relative who did not wish to be named.

The killing of Shah unleashed a bout of protests in the area. Many residents hit the streets and threw rocks at the police, forcing the administration to impose curfew in the area.

"Things starting spiralling out of control. That is why we imposed the curfew," said an official who did not wish to be named.

SP Baderwah, Raj Singh Gouria, told National Herald that police has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the matter.

"We have already arrested eight suspected persons and they are being quizzed," Gouria said.

The family of Shah has been grappling with financial trouble for the past many years. Shah was the lone bread earner of his five-member family.

"We were living a hand to mouth existence. Whatever savings my father had made throughout his life,had gone into the marriage of my three elder sisters," said Humaira.

She said the medical expenses of her sick mother and the education expenses of her and her brother were burning a hole in his pocket.

"These cow vigilantes snatched everything from us. My father never harmed any animal in his life. How will we survive now," asked Humaira.