The transporting of cows has been severely affected as drivers are reluctant to ferry animals.
At a cattle fair just 40 kilometres outside Jaipur, there is a sense of fear and insecurity. This is the same place from where 55-year-old Pehlu Khan, who was one among the men assaulted and beaten by a group of cow vigilantes on April 1, had bought his cows. Mr Khan died three days later of his injuries.
Five men were arrested after the death of Mr Khan sparked outrage, but his lynching has cast a shadow over animal trade in Rajasthan.
Business at the Pashu Hatwada outside Jaipur has fallen by over half. Municipal tax, which is Rs 6 lakh per week, on sale of animals came down to just Rs 2 lakh.
An integral part of the agrarian economy of Rajasthan, cattle fairs have also become popular tourist attractions. Business at the weekly fair was good and attracted traders from as far as Punjab, and Gujarat. But lynching of Pehlu Khan has instilled fear among traders.
Mohammad Asgar had moved from Muzzafarnagar in UP to the Ramgarh cattle market in Jaipur 22 years ago. Six months ago, his son was beaten up on the highway while transporting milch cows to Gujarat.
"My son and driver were taking six Hollistan cows to Himmat Nagar in Gujarat, when they were stopped on the Jaipur-Ajmer highway, and beaten up brutally after the gau rakshaks (cow vigilantes) snatched their mobiles and money. The locals and the police had saved us when they saw we had milch cows," 55-year-old Asgar said.
Like Mohammad Asgar, many traders have encountered similar situations. Most of them are too scared to file police complaints.
"We used to sell 30 to 40 cows a day. Saturday is the weekly fair, but today I have not sold even a single cow," Seepak Chaudhary, an animal dealer from Rohtak in Haryana who does business at this animal market said.
The transporting of cows has been severely affected as drivers are reluctant to ferry animals. "We are ready to give the driver incentives to ferry the animals but now they are too scared. The gau rakshaks beat the drivers as well. Our business has taken a big hit," said Prakash, who owns two mini trucks.
The Jaipur Municipal Corporation runs this Pashu Hatwada market, issuing receipts for animals bought and sold. Until recently, they were accepted at all check-posts as proof of a legal transaction.
"On the receipt called a ravanna, we write the name and address of the buyer and the seller. We collect a tax on the number of animals sold and then we release the animals. These receipts are checked at all check posts," said Dhara Singh Meena, deputy municipal commissioner, Jaipur Municipal Corporation who monitors the sale and tax collection at the market.
But after the attack on Pehlu Khan, questions are being asked about the Bovine Act that requires a travel permit to also be issued by the district administration if cows are to be transported out of the state.
But surprisingly, no official from the district administration sits here to issue travel permits for transport of animals outside the state. The sub-divisional officer in charge of issuing such permits, Baldev Ram Bhojak, when contacted, said he had no knowledge of the matter.