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The U.S. Justice Department is getting involved in the case of the severed cow’s head recently dumped at a cow sanctuary run by a Hindu devotee in Pennsylvania recently.
The Lakshmi Cow Sanctuary founded more than 15 years ago by Sankar Sastri in rural Pennsylvania, in Bangor, shifted barely a month ago to a new location in Monroe County, adjacent to a main road on 93 acres of land, where this bizarre incident transpired.
Waking up in the morning ‘Sastriji’ as he is popularly called, stepped out of the house to find a severed cow’s head on his front stoop. He called the police and an investigation into the incident is ongoing. According to local newspapers, the police are treating it as a case of “ethnic intimidation, criminal trespass and harassment” but Hindu activists told News India Times they consider it a hate crime and will be pushing for that designation.
The Department of Justice has stepped into the matter in a bid to facilitate communication between the community members and the local police department.
On March 31, Suzanne Buchanan, a conciliation specialist with the Justice Department’s community relations branch, came to the Lakshmi Cow Sanctuary to meet some 10 representatives from the community. Apart from Sastri, they included representatives from the nearby Arsh Vidya Gurukulam and Sringeri Mutt, two other Hindu institutions in this small Poconos community, Suhag Shukla, legal counsel and co-founder of Hindu American Foundation, as well as activist Hemant Wadhwani.
“She (Buchanan) said we can meet other community members, the police and FBI, as well as DOJ – as to what can be done about it,” Sastri told News India Times. According to those present, Sastri gave details about what happened when police troopers arrival on March 20. “Dr. Sastri mentioned that the cow’s head was not taken as evidence and he was told by troopers to dispose of it. He gave it to a veterinarian who found bullet holes in its head,” Wadhwani told News India Times. “But we think it is grounds for investigate what type of bullets they were and what kind of gun was used and whether there is any DNA evidence,” Wadhwani added.
Shukla told News India Times it was a “very good and productive” meeting with the Justice Department official. “This was about how the DOJ can facilitate conversations between community members and local law enforcement,” something Wadhwani also confirmed. Shukla said her organization would work with Sastri and others and law enforcement, “to ensure the investigation is conducted thoroughly.” She said she was alarmed by the event. “If you don’t like some neighbor or someone, you can toilet-paper them, but to put a severed head – that just takes it to a whole new level,” she contended.
The HAF is going to push for classifying the incident as a “hate crime,” she said. She said the incident also raises concerns about all three associations in the area connected to the Hindu faith, in light of incidents around the country of attacks on temples. The HAF has put up “Temple Safety and Security Guidelines” on its website to help prevent such contingencies.
“She (Buchanan) listened to our complaints,” Wadhwani said. “We as community members are supporting Sastriji.” He hoped DOJ would continue to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the community, including efforts at building cultural competency in the police force.
After the incident, State Trooper Carrie A. Gula, was quoted in news reports explaining the designation of the incident.
“The victim’s religion is Hinduism. In this religion, the cow is (a) symbol of life and may never be killed.” The severed head did not belong to any of the 20 cow currently on the sanctuary grounds, Sastri and Wadhwani told News India Times.
Sastri told Express News Times after the incident, “I hope this doesn’t magnify anymore. I don’t want to take it to the next side. I hope just a prank. They probably didn’t realize. People are unaware of what we’re about.”
But the DOJ stepping in indicates the matter has gone further.
Sastri, a retired professor from New York City College of Technology, told News India Times, the meeting with the DOJ representative was a preliminary one and that there would b a second meeting bringing all stakeholders together in a couple of weeks. “Suzanne Buchanan is really neutral. She is not an enforcing authority. She wants to listen to all sides,” Sastri said.
A volunteer at the sanctuary, Barbara Anne, told News India Times, “It’s basically just about making peace with the neighbors and keeping a balance.”
She said Sastri had interaction with one neighbor before the incident. “A neighbor was pushing a belief that cows are for food, and he was trying to push that view on Sastriji,” but said they were not sure if that incident was related to the severed head found in front of Sastri’s residence.
Sastri even joked with a local outlet, lehighvalleylive.com saying the incident reminded him of the movie “The Godfather” where the severed head of a horse was left on a man’s bed as a warning from the mob boss. But “they didn’t leave it in my bed.” Sastri quipped.
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