The cows they raised were meant to be a lifeline, not a death sentence. For Johan Soren, 66, and his brother Philip Soren, 55, the sale of their two bulls and two calves—for a desperate price of 40,000 rupees — was the only way to fund the urgent medical care for Johan’s ailing wife.
But that small, necessary transaction turned into a nightmare on August 19. As the two Catholic tribal farmers walked their animals along Malipada Road, they were ambushed by a mob of nearly 16 men, who identified themselves as “Gau Rakshaks” (cow vigilantes). Their cries of protest that the animals were their own, legally sold to a trader were ignored. The mob allegedly beat the brothers, leaving them bleeding and barely conscious on the roadside.
“We told them we were selling our own cattle to save my wife’s life,” a relative recounted later. “They just laughed and said we were smugglers.” These days, the brothers lie in a hospital bed. Johan has been diagnosed with multiple fractured ribs, an injury that makes every breath a struggle. Philip’s hand is broken, shattering his ability to work their small plot of land. The fight for justice has been as brutal as the assault itself. Local police initially refused to register a formal complaint, allegedly questioning the victims’ legal right to their own cattle. It took the intervention of the Superintendent of Police on August 23 to finally force the registration of an FIR.
