By Oishani Bhattacharya

On August 7, Anil Gamit, a resident of Mangaldev village in Gujarat’s Tapi district, was returning to his village with nine buffalo calves in a pick-up truck with another person named Dashrat Nayak. Gamit had purchased the calves in the Dang district. As they were nearing the village, a group of people led by a woman stopped their vehicle and asked them to explain why they had been carrying the calves. Sensing trouble, Dashrat escaped from the spot. Hours later, he went back and found Anil severely injured.

It was later revealed that Anil was attacked by the group with wooden sticks and sustained multiple fractures on his right leg. The group that stopped Anil and Dashrat called themselves ‘gau rakshaks’ (cow vigilantes). On August 9, Songadh police arrested ten people for rioting and assault. Among them was Neha Patel.

Neha Patel, a rather unusual figure in the predominantly male bastion of cow vigilantism, is the founder of a registered organisation called ‘Pranin Foundation’. The organisation’s official Facebook profile primarily focuses on sharing visuals and regular updates on ‘rescues’ of injured cows, with occasional posts featuring other animals. Neha’s personal Facebook page features videos showcasing the ‘raids’ and high-speed chases she and her team unleash in the name of ‘gau raksha’. Notably, the videos are remarkably similar to those shared by the now-jailed Monu Manesar, possibly the most well-known figure in north India’s cow vigilante circuit.

Neha got out on bail after spending over 30 days in judicial custody in the Tapi assault case.

Who is Neha Patel?

A resident of Vadodara, Gujarat, Neha Dwarkesh Patel did her MBA from the Southern Cross University in Australia and returned to India around 2007. As per the Pranin Foundation website, she started rescue work for animals in general and cows in particular in 2009 and officially registered the organization in June 2014.

Her Facebook profile says she is also the managing trustee of Shri Swami Vivekanand Vidhyalaya in Vadodara. She is also the secretary of Vadodara SPCA (Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) — an organization registered with the Gujarat State Animal Welfare Board.

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