“Cow Vigilantes” Fuel Religious Violence Against Muslims in Modi’s India

A recent series of attacks by Hindu extremists on Muslims in India has highlighted how sectarian violence remains a critical issue, even as the country seeks to project itself globally as a robust democracy with equal rights for all, according to a report by The New York Times.

The report, translated by Arabi21, states that despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s narrow election victory in June—interpreted by many as a rejection of his policies—there have been numerous incidents of such violence. This is according to human rights organizations focused on India and an analysis of local news reports conducted by The New York Times.

These incidents include at least a dozen cases involving so-called “cow vigilantes”—violence tied to the slaughter, trafficking, or even suspicion of dealing with cows.

In August, a 72-year-old Muslim man was beaten by a group of Hindu men who believed he was carrying beef in his bag. That same month, a group calling themselves “cow protectors” shot dead a 19-year-old Hindu student, mistaking him for a Muslim smuggling cows, according to his family.

The report emphasizes that the cow issue is deeply divisive, pitting the religious beliefs of one group against the dietary practices of another. Cows are sacred in Hinduism, particularly among the upper castes, and many Indian states have banned their slaughter, as well as the sale or trafficking of beef. However, beef is consumed by many Muslims.

Religious violence is not uncommon in India, where over a billion Hindus live alongside approximately 200 million Muslims, 30 million Christians, 25 million Sikhs, and other religious minorities, often in uneasy coexistence.

Under Modi, who has pursued a Hindu nationalist agenda since coming to power in 2014, Muslims have increasingly become targets of hardline Hindu groups affiliated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Hundreds of incidents of religious violence, including lynchings, beatings, and abuse, occur every year, according to data from the National Crime Records Bureau.

Human rights and peace activist Harsh Mander told the paper that the attacks have become so frequent they’ve nearly lost their ability to shock.

He added that violence against Muslims, in particular, has been “normalized, legitimized, and even glorified. So, it’s not just seen as acceptable—it’s seen as commendable.”

The report also highlights that cow vigilantism is a subset of religious violence, with “gau rakshaks” (cow protectors) acting as de facto police forces.

According to the report, cow slaughter laws are determined at the state level, but Modi has made cow protection a cornerstone of his national political strategy, encouraging a movement with deep historical roots in India. Modi rarely speaks publicly about the violence perpetrated by these armed groups.

From 2019 until just before India went to the polls in April, more than one-fifth of reported attacks by Hindus on Muslims were linked to cow vigilantes, making it the largest category, according to an analysis by ACLED, an independent nonprofit that monitors crises and analyzes data.

Such incidents are unlikely to decrease in Modi’s third term, despite his party’s narrower-than-expected victory in the elections, said Mohammed Akram, a researcher who co-authored a 2021 paper on cow vigilantes.

Akram told the American newspaper that “despite expectations that Modi’s political weakening would lead to a reduction in anti-Muslim violence, there have been more than a dozen incidents of cow vigilante violence in this period alone.”

In what the victim’s family described as a case of mistaken identity, 19-year-old Aryan Mishra was shot dead in Haryana after a car chase on August 24. Police arrested five men, one of whom was locally known as a cow vigilante.

Syanand Mishra, the victim’s father, told reporters this week that his son did not know the attackers, who had assumed his son was a cow smuggler. He added, “We aren’t fighting anyone,” clarifying that his family belongs to an upper Hindu caste.

One of India’s largest Hindu nationalist groups, the Vishva Hindu Parishad, distanced itself from the recent attacks. Alok Kumar, the group’s international president, stated, “We condemn all forms of violence and the tendency to take the law into one’s own hands.” Kumar added that his group trains workers to only intervene if cows are being smuggled and to report such cases to the police.

Kumar emphasized the importance of Hindus adhering to the same laws that govern all Indian citizens. He added that the recent cases of violence were more coincidental than indicative of a broader trend.

On August 28, Hajj Ashraf Ali Syed Hussain, a 72-year-old Muslim man, boarded a train in Maharashtra, according to the report.

Hussain said he was traveling to visit his daughter when a group of young men began mocking him after identifying him as Muslim from his beard and cap, accusing him of carrying beef in his bag. (According to his son, it was buffalo meat, which is generally allowed.)

“I asked them, ‘Who are you to question me?’” Hussain told reporters, after which the men—who were on their way to qualifying exams to become police officers—started beating him. He suffered multiple injuries, including to his eyes, head, and chest.

Archana Dousan, a senior police officer investigating the case, said four men had been charged with serious offenses, including assault and robbery.

Often, the violence is recorded on camera and widely shared on social media, as in Hussain’s case. Mander told the paper, “You are creating evidence of a crime under Indian law,” adding that this was “performative violence,” meaning the perpetrators felt certain they would not be punished.