Nothing's sacred: the illegal trade in India's holy cows
Andrew Buncombe reports from Kaharpara on a
bloody war between rustlers and border guards
Even in the dog days of summer,
the quiet paddy fields that mark the border between India and Bangladesh look
as supple and green as the soft stems of herbs grown in a window box. But the
daytime tranquillity belies a stark reality. This delta region of the Ganges
river is a place of often deadly conflict that underpins an activity many in
India would rather not discuss. Every year, hundreds of thousands of cows –
considered sacred in India, with export of the beasts banned – are illegally
smuggled into Bangladesh where they are turned into shoes, belts, bone china
crockery and, of course, meat.
"There is smuggling here
every day," said Umesh, a member of a three-man Indian Border Security
Force (BSF) team on duty at a watchtower near the village of Kaharpara, just a
few hundred yards from the Bangladesh border. "The smugglers will take 50,
100 or 200 cattle at a time. We try to create an ambush and surround the
smugglers."
To Know
More Please Read:
Comments