Police records show that one out of six persons booked for cow-related offences under Haryana Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan Act 2015 is a Hindu.
The Times of Indiareported today that out of the 513 people for cow smuggling and other related offences, booked in the first eight months of 2016, there were 421 Muslims, 86 Hindus, and half-a-dozen Sikhs.
Around 170 people have been arrested under the Act, one of the toughest laws against cow slaughter in the country. "We have found that people from across religions are involved in cow smuggling," a senior police officer told TOI.
Harphul Khan Bhatti, state president Muslim Kalyan Committee of Haryana, told the newspaper that cows are being use to polarise Hindus and Muslims. "This whole issue is not religious but a political one. In fact, Muslims respect cows just as the Hindus do," he said.
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