Unrest and Violence

Unrest and Violence: The Contribution of Cow Vigilante Groups to India's
Rise in Violence
Over the last decade, there has been an alarming rise in violence blamed on cow vigilante
groups in India. These vigilantes-who have appointed themselves to the task of protecting
cows-have violently attacked people suspected of either cow slaughter or illicit transportation
of cattle. These acts of cow vigilantism have created enough uproar and sent very disturbing
signals insofar as the rule of law, minority rights, and communal harmony are concerned
across the country. The blog post discusses the element of cow vigilante groups in
encouraging violence, the legal and social connotations associated with cow lynching in
India, and why stronger legal mechanisms are urgently needed to battle the monster.
Cow Vigilantism on Rise in India

Cow vigilantism is a term applied to describe activities of groups or individuals acting under
garb protecting the cow, lynching other people suspected of being involved in cow slaughter,
beef consumption, or cattle trade. The same phenomenon has been especially remarked upon
in northern and central India, where cows hold immense religious and cultural significance
for the majority Hindu population.
Cow vigilantism can be traced to factors compounded socio-politically and religiously.

Whereas the protection of cows has been a long sociocultural practice in India, over recent
years, the issue has assumed a more violent form. Cow vigilantism has been greatly
empowered with the rise of certain political movements that place Hindu nationalism and
protection of cows at the center of their political agendas operating largely with impunity.
Actually, these vigilante groups consider themselves protectors of Hindu values.
Cow Vigilante Groups: Perpetrators of Violence

The cow vigilante groups work outside the ambit of the law and at times take the law into
their own hands in the name of protection to the cow. Normally, they operate on highways
and in rural areas where the transportation of cattle can be seen as common. Armed with
weapons, these groups stop vehicles suspected of carrying cattle and subject the occupants to
harassment and beatings, culminating at times in lynching.
In most cow vigilantism-related cases victims have been lynched-in other words or beaten to
death by mobs. The term cow lynching in India has been interchangeably used with the
violence perpetrated by these groups. One of the most notorious incidents took place in 2015
when one Mohammad Akhlaq, a Muslim man, was lynched by a mob in Dadri, Uttar Pradesh,
on suspicion of storing beef in his home. Since then, cow lynching has been taking place in
various incidents in India, each more brutal than the last.
These acts of violence have been committed in several incidents in the presence of police,
who remain content either watching a movie or not taking effective action to stop it. Impunity
has actually emboldened these groups of cow vigilantes, and violence has increased.
Legal and Constitutional Consequences

Under the Constitution of India, it is guaranteed to each citizen that every human being shall
be guaranteed the right to life, liberty, and equality before the law. Cow lynching denies these
basic rights in the name of mob justice sans due process of law and trial. The cow vigilante
groups trample upon the rule of law and take the law into their hands in a manner that
includes meting out savage extrajudicial punishments.
Though a ban on killing kine is in force in many states, any such laws need to be
implemented by the concerned state machinery and not the goons. The singling out of
Muslims, Dalits, and other underprivileged sections by cow vigilante groups speaks volumes
about the communal tone of such attacks. In many cases, victims are attacked not because
they have violated a law but simply because they happen to be part of a community perceived
to be indulging in cow-related activities.
The Supreme Court has finally taken cognizance of the rising cow vigilantism and issued
guidelines to prevent mob violence. It directed the Centre and states in 2018 to take
preventive measures against incidents of lynching and hold the perpetrators responsible.
Their implementation was uneven and cow lynching goes on happening with frightening
regularity.
Social Media and the Spread of Misinformation

Cow vigilantism, on the other hand, has been equally contributed to by social media; in this
case, viral messages spread on social media via WhatsApp incite mobs into accusing certain
people of cow slaughter or beef consumption. Such messages may involve fake images or
videos that are used in the quick mobilization of vigilante groups into violence with those
they target.
That makes it very hard for law enforcement to contain such situations when false
information spreads so rapidly. By the time the police arrive at the site, the damage is already
done in the form of victims of mob justice. This has raised debates on more strict regulations
concerning social media and further accountability for those spreading incendiary content.
Cow Vigilantism: The Need for Better Legal Frameworks

The first essential thing to be done is urgency for the government to ensure that laws relating
to cow protection are implemented through legitimate authorities and not through vigilante
groups. Any move to take the law into their hands needs stringent legal action in the form of
some arrests, trial, and conviction of those mobbing violence.
There is also a need for comprehensive legal reforms that make targeting mob lynching as a
specific crime. The country needs a uniform law that criminalizes mob lynching and
prescribes stringent penalties for those involved to really deter such incidents in the future.
Police personnel at the scene, who remain mute spectators or even collaborate with the
vigilante groups, shall be taken to task through suspension or dismissal orders. Accountability
of police is all in all essential to maintain law and order in the wake of increased vigilante
violence.
Social and Communal Impact of Cow Vigilantism

Groups of cow vigilantes attacking a particular community, especially Muslims and Dalits,
have exacerbated communal tensions and given way to semblances of fear and insecurity
amongst the minority groups in the country. Most of those either associated with a source of
livelihood from cattle trade or who have ever engaged in beef consumption changed their
source of livelihood or went underground for fear of vigilante targeting.
Actions by cow vigilante groups disturb the long-enshrined traditions of religious pluralism
in India. Whereas protecting cows is a salient cultural value to many Hindus, violent
enforcement through cow lynching in India crosses the lines of tolerance and coexistence at
the very heart of Indian society.
Cow vigilantism is an ominous threat to the rule of law and social order in India. In the
incidents of cow lynching that have taken place across India, cow vigilantism was instigated
by a mix of religious frenzy, misinformation, and impunity. Such acts of violence blur the
rule of law and widen the communal rift-a dangerous trend as far as harmony in the country
is concerned.

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Unrest and Violence: The Contribution of Cow Vigilante Groups to India's

Cow Vigilantism on Rise in India

Cow vigilantism can be traced to factors compounded socio-politically and religiously.

Cow Vigilante Groups: Perpetrators of Violence

Legal and Constitutional Consequences

Social Media and the Spread of Misinformation

Cow Vigilantism: The Need for Better Legal Frameworks

Social and Communal Impact of Cow Vigilantism

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