Bengal outfit to publish report on cow census in September

Prime Minister Narendra Modi may be speaking against the cow vigilantes, but an outfit in Bengal is all set to publish a comprehensive report on cow census in September.

Claiming to be backed by the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the Cow Development Cell has been carrying out the census in all the 20 districts of the state for the past few weeks.

"Prime Minister Modi has criticised gau rakshaks (cow protectors), and we are not concerned whether that criticism is right or wrong because we are not cow protectors. It's the job of the government and the administration to protect the cows," the Cell's state head Subrata Gupta said.

"Our organisation is for the development of cows and we are carrying out the census to ascertain the status of this national asset in our state," he added.

Amid rising incidents of cow vigilantism, Modi has strongly condemned the self-styled cow protectors, saying most of them were anti-social elements masquerading as cow protectors.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee too had warned against carrying out the cow census in her state.

Gupta, however, appears determined to carry on the task.

"We will publish the detailed report of the census on September 15," he said, adding that the organisation has no plans to send the report to any political party or the government.

--IANS

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