印度农民被糟蹋庄稼的牛群逼至绝望 [英国媒体]

'I ward them off with a cricket bat':Indian farmers despair over marauding cows

“我用门球杆把它们赶走”：印度农民对糟蹋庄稼的牛群感到绝望



A herd of cows grazing in Haryana, near thehome of Rakbar Khan who died after being attacked by cow vigilantes.Photograph: Rajat Gupta/EPA

在哈里亚纳邦，拉克巴·康的家附近，一群牛在吃草。拉克巴·康之前被神牛卫士打死。图片：Rajat Gupta/EPA

Herds of cows abandoned by dairy farmersbecause of anti-slaughter laws are causing chaos in the Uttar Pradesh countryside

因为反屠牛法的推行，一群牛被奶农遗弃，该法在北方邦的乡村地区引起混乱



The stray cows, numbering hundreds, belongto dairy farmers in the area. Once they cease to give milk, farmers can’tafford to keep feeding them. Previously, they used to sell unproductive cows tothe local abattoir for a small sum of money. But now, with the Bharatiya Janataparty (BJP) government in Uttar Pradesh aggressively enforcing anti-cowslaughter laws, the situation is very different.

流浪牛有几百头，本来是这一地区的奶牛场养殖的。当它们不再产奶后，奶农们就养不起它们了。之前，不产奶的牛会被卖到当地的屠宰场，换取一点小钱。但是现在，随着印度人民党政府在北方邦严厉禁止屠宰牛类，形势完全改变了。

The BJP has closed down the small butcher’sshops (mainly Muslim-owned) that used to dot the countryside. In addition, ithas mobilised its supporters: bands of right-wing Hindu “gau rakshaks” or cowvigilantes who patrol the countryside like private militias, ready to rainviolence on anyone selling or buying a cow for slaughter.

印度人民党关停了曾经遍布乡下的屠夫的小铺子（主要为穆斯林经营）。另外，它还动员了该法令的支持者：一群右翼印度教徒“gau rakshaks”，或者被称为神牛卫士。他们像私人卫队一样在乡间巡逻，随时会对以屠宰为目的买卖牛只的人施加暴力。

Having stoked Hindu passions over the cowto come to power, the Narendra Modi government effectively legitimised cowvigilantes who have lynched Muslims and Dalits, who they believe areslaughtering cows.

纳兰德拉·穆迪政府将印度教对牛的信仰强化为实际控制力，它事实上赋予了神牛卫士法律权力对穆斯林和达利特施行私刑，他们相信这两种人会屠宰牛只。

HumanRights Watch reported that in the two years up to April 2017 at least10 Muslims, including a 12-year-old boy, were killed during mob attacks relatedto the campaign against beef consumption.

人权观察组织报告称在过去的两年间，截止到2017年4月，至少有10名穆斯林，包括一名12岁的男孩，在反对吃牛肉行动中遭暴徒袭击中丧生。



Cow slaughter has been banned for years inabout 20 of India’s 29 states out of respect for the sentiments of Hindus whovenerate the cow. But in reality, officials were rarely bothered about what washappening on the ground in remote villages where Hindu farmers regularly soldtheir unproductive cows to the local Muslim butchers. This trade, albeittechnically illegal, flourished.

为尊重崇拜神牛的印度教徒的感情，在印度的29个邦，已经有20个邦多年禁止屠牛。但实际上，几乎没有政府官员在意偏远乡村的信仰印度教的农民定期把丧失劳动力的牛卖给穆斯林屠夫。这种交易虽然在理论上是违法的，但十分繁荣。

In March 2017, the Uttar Pradesh governmentclosed down hundreds of what it called “illegal” abattoirs, leaving farmerswith nowhere to take their cows. Other BJP state governments have also shutdown cattle fairs where farmers used to sell unproductive or ageing cows eitherfor meat or leather.

在2017年3月，北方邦政府关停了几百家被认为是“非法经营”的屠宰场，这使农民们没有地方处理他们的牛。其他印度人民党地方政府还关闭了牛市，通常农民们在那里交易失去劳动力或上了年纪的牛，一般用作取肉或制革。



Munidev Tyagi patrols his farm at night,armed with his son’s cricket bat, to protect against cows. Photograph: AmritDhillon for the Guardian

穆尼德夫·提亚齐在他的农田巡夜，用他儿子的板球杆来驱赶牛群。图片：Amrit Dhillon for the Guardian

“All farmers used to sell, under the radar,their old cows. Do you know much fodder costs? Do you know how many men ittakes to lift a sick cow to clean the shed? After stopping giving milk, a cow canlive for another 20 years. Do they feed their children or their cows? It’sabsurd to expect a farmer to keep them just because your ideology says so,”said political commentator Chandra Bhan Prasad.

“所有农民曾经在法律眼皮底下卖他们的老牛。你知道老牛要吃多少饲料么？你知道需要多少人才能把病牛扶起来以便打扫牛舍么？在停止产奶之后，一头牛还能活20年。农民们应该喂牛还是喂自己的孩子？只是因为你自己的观点就希望农民们养着这些牛，这是很荒唐的事，”政治评论员坎德拉·班·普拉萨德说。

Radha Kant Vats who runs a cow shelter inthe Indian capital, says that farmers should hand over unproductive cows to cowshelters like his. “We will look after them and give them an old age full ofdignity and love.”

拉达·坎特·瓦茨在新德里经营着一间牛看护所，他说农民们应该把丧失生产能力的牛送到看护所。“我们会照料它们，给予年长的它们应有的尊重和爱。”



“Before they used to be apologetic,clinging to the sides of the roads, taking up little space. Now, they parkthemselves bang in the middle as though to say ‘hey, it’s our time now’.”

“之前它们还有羞耻之心，呆在路边，只占一小块地方。现在，它们直接趴在路中间，好像在说：‘嘿，现在是我的时代了’。”