Animal rights advocacy group PETA has clarified that their Raksha Bandhan campaign in Ahmedabad featuring a cow urging people to give up leather for Rakhi drew ire that cows, too, deserve protection. On Wednesday, netizens shared an image of PETA campaign from Gujarat which had an image of a cow with a caption that urged people to give up leather to protect the cows.
This is totally appreciated “PETA” campaigning for leadher free Raksha Bandhan.. (God knows either leadher is being used in Rakhi or not !)
— विजय ठाकर (@VIJAYTHAKERJI) July 15, 2020
I am waiting this kind of campaigning for Bakrid @PetaIndia #rakshabandhan #jivdaya #bakrid pic.twitter.com/EUfnlqbzAE
Speaking to OpIndia, Radhika Suryavanshi, Campaigns Coordinator, PETA India said that “Raksha Bandhan is a time for protecting our sisters, and cows are our sisters under the skin. Like us, they are made of blood, flesh and bone and want to live. The idea is to protect cows everyday and Raksha Bandhan is a great day to pledge to be lifelong leather-free.”
On the social media outrage directed towards the campaign, Suryavanshi said that more than the campaign, what is offensive is that cows and buffaloes are crammed onto vehicles in such high numbers that their bones snap or they suffocate. “Those who survive have their throats slit with dull knives in front of their companions. We need to direct our outrage towards this violence instead of directing it towards PETA when we are trying to save cows only supports the abusers,” she said.
PETA’s goat slaughter billboard removed in Lucknow
Earlier this month, an image of goat on a billboard urging people to turn vegan and stop goat slaughter reportedly offended the Islamic clerics in Lucknow. They claimed such an appeal hurt their religious sentiments as Bakri Eid, wherein goat slaughter is a part of the ritual, is just around the corner. Later PETA had claimed that the the hoardings were removed by the authorities and they did not agree with removal of hoardings. However, speaking to OpIndia, the Lucknow Police had said that PETA had removed the hoardings itself. Later, Lucknow Police claimed to Bhakar that PETA was not informed before removal of hoarding.
