COW
Cow is, nowadays, known as a sacred animal in Hinduism. The Hindus have adopted worship of cow from Jainism.
In ancient days, the Hindus used to have cow sacrifice and eat beef too. Even nowadays, Hindus in Kerala, and, most of the Hindus in foreign lands eat beef (in hamburgers/beefburgers and pizzas etc).
In Sikhism, there is no religious sanctity for cow itself. A Sikh, who relishes meat-eating, has no restriction to eating of beef.
In 1870, the Kookas (who were then followers of Sikhs faith) had come under the influence of the Vaishnav Hindu sect; and, between June 1870 and January 1872 they attacked slaughter houses at Amritsar and Malerkotla and killed several butchers who had been given job to slaughter animals. These Kookas were later arrested and executed. After this the Kookas almost disappeared.
In 1920, they were won over by the Nirmala and Udasi priests and they also became agents of the British regime; and, since then they began calling themselves Namdharis.
Gradually they renounced all the Sikh traditions and became a sect of Hinduism. They look like Sikhs because they wear turbans; but, they worship mythical Hindu deities like Rama and Krishna, and, they adhere to every custom and ritual of Hindus’ faith.
(Dr Harjinder Singh Dilgeer)