Muslim man booked in Samba under ‘cow protection’ pretext

Jammu: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, in yet another clear demonstration of anti-Muslim bias, Indian police in Samba district have arrested a Muslim man on charges of bovine smuggling, an incident that rights observers describe as part of a systematic campaign to harass and criminalize members of the Muslim community under the guise of “cow protection”. According to Kashmir Media Service, police claimed to have foiled a bovine smuggling attempt in the Ghagwal area when they intercepted a Mahindra load carrier at Tapyal naka on the Srinagar-Jammu highway. Four bovines were confiscated. The driver, identified as Mushtaq Ahmad of Nagrota, Jammu, was arrested and booked at Police Station Ghagwal. Critics point out that such cases are routinely weaponized against Muslims in the Jammu region. While cow vigilantism and selective enforcement of bovine-related laws have become a tool of intimidation, similar violations by non-Muslims often go unnoticed or are treated leniently.