Stray bovine on the fields, Jaunpur farmers fight a cattle battle

With just about 10 per cent of Muslims in the region, the conflict in Jaunpur is caste-based - between the upper and lower castes

His cart overflowing with luscious green spinach and coriander, Dileep Kumar Sonkar is talking to Business Standard quite cordially when he sees something, yells, leaves his cart in the middle of the narrow dusty village track, and runs, waving his arms frantically. A herd of cows has entered his field and is chomping away at tender green carrot tops, trampling over the carefully laid furrows that ensure optimal water flow. After he has dislodged the intruders with hefty thwacks from one of the many bamboo sticks, apparently stuck in the ground with that very strategic purpose, and returns panting to