Rajasthan cops’ parade of Muslim men and forced chanting of cow’s praise challenge constitution
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The Rajasthan police's action of parading two Muslim men through a busy area in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain on the accusation of cow slaughter, while forcing them to chant ‘Gau hamari mata hai, police hamara baap hai’ (‘Cow is our mother and police is our father’), is viewed as a challenge to the law and the country’s constitution, which guarantees human rights.
The court can initiate a suo motu case against the policemen involved in the parading of the accused on the road and for forcing them to praise the cow on believers of another religion as a violation of the constitution; however, no action has been taken against the officers yet.
The men, identified as Salim Mewati and Aaqib Mewati, were forced to chant slogans during the parade, and a police officer was seen questioning them about their involvement in cow slaughtering.
The police reportedly paraded them for nearly a kilometre before taking them to the police station, and the videos have sparked widespread reactions online. According to Ujjain’s additional superintendent of police (ASP) Nitesh Bhargav, the police acted on a tip-off regarding cow slaughter in the Ghatiya area, and they seized a vehicle, mobile phones, and cow meat during the operation.
He stated that two individuals were arrested while a third suspect remained at large, and teams had been deployed to apprehend the absconding accused.
The senior official further claimed that both Salim and Aaqib were serial offenders, and he noted that Salim had 24 cases registered against him while Aaqib had four. The incident comes amid the Madhya Pradesh government’s continued focus on cow slaughter cases, and Chief Minister Mohan Yadav had previously stated that strict measures had resulted in the rescue of more than 7,000 cows within a month.
In June last year, the chief minister said that all districts had received clear instructions regarding the enforcement of laws prohibiting cow slaughter, and he emphasised that those found guilty would face stringent penalties.
The government reported that over 550 cases related to the prohibition law had been registered within July 2024, and officials claimed that hundreds had been arrested as part of the ongoing crackdown. The chief minister asserted that the government would continue its strict monitoring and enforcement efforts without any relaxation.
