Guj, Raj govts shying away from acting against cow vigilantes: Pilot

Ahmedabad: Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot on Wednesday accused the BJP-led governments in his state and Gujarat of shying away from their responsibility to take action against cow vigilantes and said such elements were now terrorising the people.

Speaking about a recent incident in Alwar district of Rajasthan, where a man was shot dead allegedly by cow vigilantes, Pilot claimed that Vasundhara Raje, the chief minister of the state, was in that district when the incident took place. "Such incidents (involving cow vigilantes) are surfacing on a regular basis, be it in Gujarat or Rajasthan. These incidents are condemnable and I believe that those in the government are shying away from their responsibility," he told mediapersons on his arrival at the airport here on Wednesday.

"The entire country is talking about how gau-rakshaks (cow vigilantes) are terrorising people. In Rajasthan, crimes such as murder, abduction, rape and robbery have become routine affairs. These crimes are happening right under the nose of the government. The Rajasthan chief minister was in that district when the firing incident took place," Pilot said.

He was responding to a query about the alleged killing of Umar Khan (35) in the Ramgarh area of Alwar district recently. Khan's body was found near the railway tracks in Ramgarh on November 11, with his family members and activists alleging that he was shot dead by cow vigilantes while he was ferrying cattle in a vehicle the day before.

"No one is allowed to take law into their hands. What is the use of the police or courts if some elements, who claim to be the protectors of law, kill people saying they are doing justice," he said. The former Union minister also lashed out at the BJP government in Rajasthan over the controversy surrounding upcoming Bollywood film "Padmavati", saying it should have intervened earlier to resolve the issue.