Our Special Correspondent
Srinagar, Sept. 30: Hurriyat hawk Syed Ali Shah Geelani has accused the Jammu and Kashmir regime of distributing medicines made from cow urine in government hospitals in the Valley, the allegation coming amid simmering tension over the beef ban in the state.
A statement issued by the Geelani-led Hurriyat claimed the People’s Democratic Party-BJP government had hatched a conspiracy to hurt the sentiments of a section of the people by making them eat a “forbidden substance” in the guise of medicine.
The statement claimed cow urine was an ingredient in the ayurvedic medicine, Sanjeevani Vati, and it was being distributed free in government dispensaries.
Geelani’s spokesperson claimed the medicine was distributed on the directions of health minister Chowdhary Lal Singh, who is from the BJP.
Singh said there was no truth in Geelani’s allegations. But he averred that both cow urine and dung had medicinal value. “In our areas, cow urine was given to (pregnant) women to treat ailments of the babies (in their wombs)…. (Similarly) cow dung was used on walls of houses to keep people away from diseases,” Singh told The Telegraph.