At the very outset, I must also express my utmost anguish at the gruesome manner in which Mohammad Akhlaq was burnt alive on the mere suspicion of keeping beef in his house. With no ifs and buts, I too very strongly demand the most stringent punishment for all those who indulged in such horrifying crime that one can expect only from terrorists or professional criminals. They must be identified, shamed publicly and they made be compelled to disclose at whose instigation they indulged in such gruesome crime so that they too are awarded the strictest punishment under the law!

I have no doubt in my mind that our media, newschannels and politicians of all major political parties rightly expressing their fuming indignation at what happened with Akhlaq. Every day I got to read about him in one newspaper or magazine about him. No one can question that the perpetrators of killers of Akhlaq must be immediately brought to book and not allowed to escape unscathed.

What, however,  deeply disturbs my innermost conscience is when I observe how a Muslim from Meerut whose name even I had forgotten but just now read in a local Hindi newspaper “Dainik Jagran” dated 3 November 2015 – Dilshad Qureshi. Dilshad considered cow very sacred and had not married inspite of nearing 40 years of age as he devoted his whole life for the sake of cow’s protection who are killed every now and then! He used to immediately inform the police whenever he used to learn that a cow is about to be slaughtered illegally and it is a no brainer that because of all this he developed many enemies – beef mafia who were in the business of beef trade! He loved cows very much and used to get very upset on learning of slaughter of cows anywhere! He worked closely in tandem with an organization named – “Sach” headed by Sandeep Pahal who too has been in the forefront of struggle to save cows from being killed most brutally!

Dilshad was not only brutally shot at in June 2014 by those engaged in beef business but also beaten. He was taken to different hospitals and he battled for few months for his life. But ultimately he expired in January 2015.

Still no security was given to his family members. After some time, dacoity had taken place in his house and they decamped with Rs 1.10 lakh in cash and Rs 4 lakh jewellery. His elder brother Imran was stabbed and his father Shakeel Ahmad and others were looted at gun point. Yet police is not even believing the incident! However, Ari one of the brother of late Dilshad alleged that one of the robbers was the son of the owner of an illegal slaughter house.

“My grandson stood for truth and his death will not go waste. Our family will not take rest so long as a single cow is slaughtered in the city,” said Dilshad’s 82-year-old grandmother, Begum in a choked voice. He was most brutally murdered by few goons whom I will never call Muslims because  those who murder innocents are only and only killers and they are neither Hindus nor Muslims! What an unbeatable irony that his family had earlier expressed their fear of his being eliminated yet he was not given security cover! He was shot with bullets in the head in June 2014 and after seven months of suffering and battling for life, he ultimately expired on January, 22, 2015 after having undergone treatment in a number of hospitals in Noida and Meerut. Soon afterwards, his mother Najma went into depression and died a few months later. What I find most shocking is that not a single leader nor any party – neither Samajwadi nor Congress nor BSP nor Left nor BJP nor anyone else has ever bothered to highlight his supreme sacrifice in front of the media.

He deserves national award but sadly he has not been given enough space even in newspapers – not a single national English newspaper barring Times Of India has highlighted his supreme sacrifice nor in newschannels who keep chanting Dadri incident just like newspapers! Dilshad had utmost love for cows who his grandmother says that, “He would often say that he was a true Muslim. If he could not tolerate disrespect of the Quran, how could a Hindu tolerate the butchering of an animal he considers his mother?” His brother Asif further stated that, “There was a time when every nook and corner of Saddiq Nagar used to have illegal slaughterhouses. Dilshad launched a crusade against the slaughter of these animals and during the process all four of us brothers stopped consuming meat of any sort.” Imran who is one of Dilshad’s brothers says that, “More than 5000 cows and buffaloes are slaughtered illegally in the entire district on a daily basis. The hotspots are Shyam Nagar, Rashid Nagar, Sardhana, Harra Khiwai, Badda, Kithore, and so on. The police are corrupt or choose to be silent spectators.” Dilshad has been instrumental in sealing more than 200 illegal slaughterhouses in Saddiq Nagar area alone. But who cares? Everyone is chanting “Dadri, Dadri and nothing but Dadri”.

I don’t grudge Dadri incident being highlighted but what I certainly grudge is that the Muslim from Meerut – Dilshad Qureshi who devoted his whole life for protection of cow and who was brutally murdered by those in beef trade getting adversely affected by his acts has  not even been given a nominal space in any English newspaper or any news channel or any reputed magazine or ever remembered by any national leader of any major political party! Rahul Thakur, who runs Krishna Gaurakshak Dal and is a BJP activist and close associate of Dilshad said : “Dilshad made enemies within his own community but did not compromise with his ideology. We all are now under threat. I too have escaped two attacks on me.”

Did he commit some heinous crime that he has not been given due recognition? I am a Hindu but I have never done anything for cow sake nor can I ever dream of sacrificing my life for a cow even though I consider it to be sacred! An Indian Muslim from Meerut does it and pays for it with his priceless life yet our thankless nation ignores it and whole nation chants “Akhlaq, Akhlaq and nothing but Akhlaq”! I too have my full sympathy for him. He was an innocent victim of a crime perpetrated by criminals but the Muslim from Meerut – “Dilshad” knowingly took on those indulging in beef trade and for sake of cow didn’t marry and all the time did everything possible to save cows yet this thankless nation has no time to even remember him let alone give him the high honour which he so richly deserves! I can never in my life ever dream to do so much for a cow yet in India we see such supreme sacrifice not being recognized by not a single party, not a single newschannel, not a single magazine, not a single English newspaper except “Times of India” which published his story in its Meerut issue dated November 8, 2015!

Why no writer has raised his voice for him? Why no writer has relinquished award for him? Why police didn’t give him protection knowing fully well that his life was in danger? His elder brother Imran later said crying that, “My brother has sacrificed his life for sake of cow and police knowingly did nothing to prevent his murder. Everyone will forget him soon.” He  was right.

Nobody – no political party, no political leader, no news channel, no English newspaper except TOI, no magazine and infact no one has time to even remember him once for the selfless supreme sacrifice he rendered for sake of protection of cow just because he cannot be a political fodder who can give huge political mileage to anyone! Most disappointing! It’s truly saddening! Now his brother too has taken vow to do everything possible to save cows from being slaughtered just like Dilshad!

Why so called secular leaders like Akhilesh Yadav, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Rahul Gandhi etc and even Muslim leaders like Assaduddin Owaisi never raise voice in demanding that Dilshad be given national award and his family be given huge compensation for rendering the supreme sacrifice of his  own life for the sake of protection of cows? Is it a crime to sacrifice one’s life for a cow? To be brutally honest, I can never sacrifice my life for the sake of cow even if millions are killed mercilessly but a young Muslim Dilshad Qureshi who devoted his whole life to cow and did not even marry to fight for the sake of cows protection has rendered the supreme sacrifice by paying his life for it yet India and its leaders are not ready to recognize this supreme sacrifice not even those who never tire calling cow – “Gau Mata”! Most pathetic!

-Sanjeev Sirohi,