The Bovine Bind

How a lack of culpability is making victims of India's women...and its cows

Of late, the country is no longer a safe place. Everyone is wary and even broad daylight brings no real comfort. The police attempt to show increased vigilance via a greater number of patrols and the public is on high alert, but to no avail. If the media is to be believed, brutal kidnappings are an everyday occurrence and India's women live in mortal fear. So, as it turns out, do our cows.

The very figures of calm that amble freely, thinking nothing of laying down in the middle of the street as they regurgitate their midday meal, hearkan to a simpler time. Famously regarded as sacred by those of the Hindu faith, these bovine Mahatmas are fast losing their consecrated status as the country increasingly develops a taste for red meat, specifically beef.

When gangs of cattle thieves receive up to Rs 5,000 (a little less than $100) per cow, in a country where most people live on less than $5 a day, traditional morals can no longer be justified. After all, business is business. As desires for hamburgers and prime cuts grows, so do the number of cattle thefts and illegal slaughterhouses, the latter currently estimated to be over 30,000 in number. About 1.5 million cows are smuggled out of India annually and, in fact, India recently overtook Australia, Brazil and the United States, as the number one exporter of beef.

The police, it seems, are fully aware of these cattle thefts but the problem of handling it appears to come down to the number one problem India is struggling with. Culpability.

The outlaws are ruthless in securing their bounties and undeterred by jail, because they are fully aware of the incredible red tape that permeates our legal system and causes delays. Even a jail sentence usually lasts no longer than a few months, at most.

These gangs do not limit themselves to cows - stray motorcycles and women are up for grabs as well. Police officers say that kidnappings and rapes of local women take place in conjunction with cattle thefts. Which makes sense considering how women are often treated in this country.

Dismissing the rising number of cattle thefts as unimportant is short-sighted. There might be money to be made in the exporting of beef, but India will then face other costs, such as the loss of cattle in the production of fuel, manure and farming. Similarly, expecting women to remain confined within their homes or under multiple layers of clothing, cannot be propagated as a solution to the increasing number of crimes against women.

In both cases, there are larger issues at hand. Fixing the official narrative sur0unding both crimes against women and crime in general only goes so far. The more difficult – and undoubtedly uncomfortable – challenge is to alter the mindsets of the people themselves.