Cow vigilante violence in India

Mob attacks in the name of cow protection In India , cow vigilante violence is the use of physical force in the name of " cow protection ". Since 2014, mob attacks targeting mostly illegal cow smugglers, but in some cases even licensed cow traders, have become prominent. There is a debate on whether there has actually been any change in the number of such incidences, as Government Data points out to reduced communal tensions post 2014. Cattle slaughter is banned in most states of India. Recently emerged cow vigilante groups, claiming to be protecting cattle, have been violent leading to a number of deaths. Cow-protection groups see themselves as preventing theft, protecting the cow or upholding the law in an Indian state which bans cow slaughter . According to a Reuters report, a total of 63 cow vigilante attacks had occurred in India between 2010 and mid 2017, mostly since the Modi government came to power in 2014. In these attacks between 2010 and June 2017, "28 Indians – 24 of them Muslims – were killed and 124 injured", states the Reuter's report. There has been a rise in the number of incidents of cow vigilantism since the election of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to the Indian central government in 2014. The frequency and severity of cow vigilante violence has been described as "unprecedented". Human Rights Watch has reported that there has been a surge in cow vigilante violence since 2015. The surge is attributed to the recent rise in Hindu nationalism in India. Many vigilante groups say they feel "empowered" by the victory of the Hindu nationalist BJP in the 2014 election. The Supreme Court of India in September 2017 ruled that each state should appoint a police officer in each district to take strict action against cow vigilantism. The court also expressed its concerns that animals were being illegally slaughtered such as the case of 200 slaughtered cattle found floating in a Bihar river. India's prime minister Narendra Modi has distanced himself from a spate of mob attacks in the name of "cow protection" that have mostly targeted Muslims. Last month Prime Minister Narendra Modi said murder in the name of cow protection is "not acceptable." S, Rukimini (3 July 2017). India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken out against violence by cow vigilante groups, a day after thousands of Indians gathered in cities across the country on Wednesday evening to protest against a string of attacks on minority Muslims that have sparked concern about the fraying of India's secular fabric. "Take urgent steps to stop cow vigilantism, Supreme Court tells Centre and states - Times of India" . The Times of India .

Mob attacks against bovine meat industry Cow vigilante violence is a pattern of mob-based collective vigilante violence seen in India perpetuated "by Hindu nationalists against non-Hindus (mostly Muslims) to protect cows , which they consider sacred in Hindu religion". Since 2014, mob attacks targeting mostly illegal cow smugglers, but in some cases even licensed cow traders, have become prominent. There is a debate on whether there has actually been any change in the number of such incidences, as government data points out to reduced communal tensions post 2014. Cattle slaughter is banned in most states of India. Recently emerged cow vigilante groups, claiming to be protecting cattle, have been violent leading to a number of deaths. Cow-protection groups see themselves as preventing cattle theft and smuggling , protecting the cow or upholding the law in an Indian state which bans cow slaughter . According to a Reuters report, a total of 63 cow vigilante attacks had occurred in India between 2010 and mid 2017, most after Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014 . In these attacks between 2010 and June 2017, "28 Indians – 24 of them Muslims – were killed and 124 injured", states the Reuter's report. There has been a rise in the number of incidents of cow vigilantism since the election of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) majority in the Parliament of India in 2014. The frequency and severity of cow vigilante violence has been described as "unprecedented". Human Rights Watch has reported that there has been a surge in cow vigilante violence since 2015. The surge is attributed to the recent rise in Hindu nationalism in India. Many vigilante groups say they feel "empowered" by the victory of the Hindu nationalist BJP in the 2014 election. The Supreme Court of India in September 2017 ruled that each state should appoint a police officer in each district to take strict action against cow vigilantism. The court also expressed its concerns that animals were being illegally slaughtered such as the case of 200 slaughtered cattle found floating in a Bihar river. Journal of Legal Studies and Research . 4 (4). The Law Brigade (Publishing) Group: 134– 148. That makes it terrorism" . India's prime minister Narendra Modi has distanced himself from a spate of mob attacks in the name of "cow protection" that have mostly targeted Muslims. Last month Prime Minister Narendra Modi said murder in the name of cow protection is "not acceptable." S, Rukimini (3 July 2017). India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken out against violence by cow vigilante groups, a day after thousands of Indians gathered in cities across the country on Wednesday evening to protest against a string of attacks on minority Muslims that have sparked concern about the fraying of India's secular fabric. "After crackdown on cattle-smuggling, Indo-Bangladesh border sees spike in wildlife trafficking" . The Indian Express . 27 October 2021 . "Take urgent steps to stop cow vigilantism, Supreme Court tells Centre and states - Times of India" . The Times of India .