Community
– that’s all you need to know
ByElaDutt
he 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.
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 harass-
ment” but Hindu activists told
News India Times they consider
it a hate crime and will be push-
ing for that designation.
The Department of Justice
has stepped into the matter in a
bid to facilitate communication
between the community mem-
bers and the local police depart-
ment.
On March 31, Suzanne
Buchanan, a conciliation spe-
cialist with the Justice
Department’s community rela-
tions branch, came to the
Lakshmi Cow Sanctuary to meet
some 10 representatives from
the community. Apart from
Sastri, they included representa-
tives 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
HemantWadhwani.
“She (Buchanan) said we can
meet other community mem-
bers, 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 dis-
pose of it. He gave it to a veteri-
narian 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 produc-
tive” meeting with the Justice
Department official. “This was
about how the DOJ can facilitate
conversations between commu-
nity members and local law
enforcement,” something
Wadhwani also confirmed.
Shukla said her organization
would work with Sastri and oth-
ers and law enforcement, “to
ensure the investigation is con-
ducted thoroughly.” She said she
was alarmed by the event.
“If you don’t like some neigh-
bor or someone, you can toilet-
paper them, but to put a severed
head - that just takes it to a
whole new level,” she contend-
ed.
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 contingen-
cies.
“She (Buchanan) listened to
our complaints,”Wadhwani
said. “We as community mem-
bers are supporting Sastriji.” He
hoped DOJ would continue to
bridge the gap between law
enforcement and the communi-
ty, including efforts at building
cultural competency in the
police force.
After the incident, State
Trooper Carrie A. Gula, was
quoted in news reports explain-
ing the designation of the inci-
dent.
“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 indi-
cates the matter has gone fur-
ther.
Sastri, a retired professor
from NewYork 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 cou-
ple 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 neigh-
bors and keeping a balance.”
She said Sastri had interac-
tion 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 sev-
ered head found in front of
Sastri’s residence.
Sastri even joked with a local
outlet, Lehighvalleylive.com say-
ing 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.
T
Justice Department Takes Up Case Of Severed Cow Head Found In Hindu Sanctuary
Lakshmi Cow Sanctuary in
Bangor, Pennsylvania.
13
News India Times
April 8, 2016
