Hundreds of Hindus on Wednesday held a protest in West Sussex in Britain against the killing of Gangotri, a sacred cow, at a temple on the outskirts of London.The protest was held in front of the headquarters of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) as vets from the organisation had euthanised the 13-year-old sick cow at the Bhaktivedanta Manor temple in Hertfordshire on December 13.“We held a peaceful prayer protest over the way Gangotri was killed. The RSPCA made the equivalent of a citizen’s arrest — they went in and made the decision to kill the cow immediately. Given the chance we would have taken legal action to try to stop it,” temple spokesman Vinay Tanna said.The animal charity denied any foul play in the case. Hundreds of devotees from Bhaktivedanta Manor had gathered at the RSPCA headquarters in Southwater, West Sussex, for the protest, the spokesman said. Cows are considered sacred to Hindus and the killing of a cow is considered sacrilege. The Bhaktivedanta Manor runs “The Cow Protection Project” and allows old cows and bulls to die naturally.The devotees had alleged that the killing was conducted on December 13 despite assurances given the previous day from RSPCA officers and police that due to religious sensitivities no immediate action would be taken.
