The frenzy generated by fringe groups over cow slaughter has hit where it hurts most. In Kanpur, the trade in animal skins has become hazardous and firms doing business are shutting down. In the past around 20-25 truck loads of animal hide would arrive everyday. This has reduced to a trickle with two-four trucks arriving every week. About 200 members of the Hide Merchants Association quit to start alternate businesses and the worst hit are Dalits, who form the bulk of the work force. Tanneries which source hides from the Kanpur market are also on the verge of closure. The Dadri lynching and violence on the pretext of preserving cows has rattled the industry and workers who are no longer willing to take risks. Kanpur is a second largest leather market after Chennai and it is heading for closure. As the campaign gets more strident, more units will eventually close and the leather goods industry could move south where the objection to slaughter of cattle is not so pronounced. The reluctance of the Centre to intervene in the ongoing campaign, it appears that beef eaters are not going to be the only ones affected. Units connected with the leather trade run the risk of shutting down for want of animal hide. If not checked, this could have a cascading effect on the leather industry, affect supplies and increased prices -- a proposition that would eventually anger consumers.
