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In 2002, five Dalit youths were killed by a mob in Jhajjar district, Haryana after accusations of cow slaughter. The mob were reportedly led by members of the Vishva Hindu Parishad, according to Human Rights Watch. According to People’s Union for Democratic Rights, the Vishva Hindu Parishad and the Gauraksha Samiti have defended violent vigilantism around cow protection as sentiments against the “sin of cow-slaughter” and not related to “the social identity of the victims”. Various groups, such as the families of the Dalits victims of cow-related violence in 2002, did not question the legitimacy of cow protection but questioned instead the false allegations.
List of incidents of cow vigilante violence in India
2012
Date | Location | Dead | Injured | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
10 June 2012 | Joga, Punjab | 0 | 2 | Villagers led by activists of the Vishva Hindu Parishad and the Goshala Sangh, set a factory, two houses on fire following reports of cow slaughter in factory premises. |
2013
Date | Location | Dead | Injured | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
20 August 2013 | Chandan Nagar, Indore, Madhya Pradesh | 35 | Communal tensions rise over recovery of cow carcass; 35 including 25 policemen, were injured. | |
30 August 2013 | Rewari, Haryana | Mobs on a rampage at two places in the state; torch 65 vehicles, attack police after intercepting trucks carrying cattle and cow flesh. State-owned buses, 50 police and other vehicles set on fire. |
2014
Date | Location | Dead | Injured | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
14 August 2014 | Haryana | 0 | 2 | Muslim meat sellers beaten up in Delhi border. |
23 August 2014 | Pumpwell, Karnataka | 3 | Three men were transporting 13 cattle when a drunk mob attacked them. | |
7 October 2014 | Gujarat | 0 | 5 | Alleged cow slaughter; Police and Muslims clashed. |
8 October 2014 | Bihar | 0 | 1 | Rumors of beef related issue on the occasion of Bakr-Eid that led to communal tension. |
11 October 2014 | Bihar | 0 | 2 | Following rumors of a severed cow head being found at a temple across the town communal tension arises in Kishanganj. |
2015
Date | Location | Dead | Injured | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
30 May 2015 | Rajasthan | 1 | A 60-year-old man who ran a meat shop was beaten to death by a mob with sticks and iron rods. | |
2 August 2015 | Uttar Pradesh | 3 | According to Human Rights Watch, “purported animal rights activists allegedly belonging to People for Animals” beat three men to death, after the victims were found carrying buffaloes. | |
28 September 2015 | Bisahda village, Dadri, Uttar Pradesh | 1 | 1 | A mob of villagers attacked the home of a Muslim man Mohammed Akhlaq, with sticks and bricks, who they suspected of stealing and slaughtering a stolen cow calf, in Bisahda village near Dadri, Uttar Pradesh. 52 year-old Mohammad Akhlaq Saifi (Ikhlaq according to some sources) died in that attack and his son, 22-year-old Danish was seriously injured. |
9 October 2015 | Jammu and Kashmir | 1 | A right-wing Hindu mob in Udhampur district threw gasoline bombs at an 18-year-old trucker. The mob had incorrectly suspected the trucker of transporting beef. | |
14 October 2015 | Himachal Pradesh | 1 | 4 | A mob beat a 22-year old to death, and injured four others, after suspecting them of transporting cows. Police immediately arrested the victims of the attack, accusing them of cow slaughter. Later police said they would investigate if Bajrang Dal was behind the attack. |
9 December 2015 | Bhanukeri Village, Karnal, Haryana | 1 | One killed as cow vigilante group opens fire at 40 migrant workers |
2016
Date | Location | Dead | Injured | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
14 January 2016 | Madhya Pradesh | 0 | 2 | A Muslim couple was beaten up inside a train by members of Gau raksha samithi in Khikriya railway station in Harda, Madhya Pradesh on suspicion of carrying a bag containing beef. |
18 March 2016 | Jharkhand | 2 | In the Jharkhand lynching, two Muslim cattle traders were attacked, allegedly by cattle-protection vigilantes in Balumath forests in Latehar district in Jharkhand. The attackers killed Mazlum Ansari, aged 32, and Imteyaz Khan, aged 15, who were found hanging from a tree. | |
11 July 2016 | Gujarat | 0 | 4 | A group of six men attacked four Dalit men after finding them skinning a dead cow. The four were chained to a car, stripped, and beaten with iron rods. |
17 July 2016 | Karnataka | 0 | 4 | 4 dalits including a physically challenged person were beaten up by Bajrang Dal activists in Chikkamagalur district of Karnataka on suspicion of eating beef. |
30 July 2016 | Uttar Pradesh | A Muslim family was attacked by a mob on allegation of cow slaughter in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. The victims were arrested on charges of cow slaughter but no case was registered against the members of the mob. |
2017
Date | Location | Dead | Injured | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
5 April 2017 | Rajasthan | 1 | 6 | In the Alwar lynching, Pehlu Khan, a dairy farmer from Nuh district of Haryana, was murdered by a group of 200 cow vigilantes affiliated with right-wing Hindutva groups in Alwar, Rajasthan, India. Six others who were with Pehlu Khan were also beaten by the cow vigilantes. The state government initially charged the victims with “cruelty to animals” under the state law prohibiting cattle slaughter. |
20 April 2017 | Assam | 2 | Two men, in their 20s, were allegedly killed by a mob of cow vigilantes, after being accused of trying to steal cows for slaughter. | |
24 April 2017 | Jammu and Kashmir | 0 | 5 | A family of five, including a 9-year-old girl, were attacked and injured; police arrested 11 so-called cow vigilantes in connection with the attack.[51] A video of the attack showed the assailants demolishing the shelter of the family; policemen were visible in the video, apparently unable to intervene. |
23 April 2017 | Delhi | 0 | 3 | Three men transporting buffaloes were injured after being beaten by a group stating they were members of the animal rights activist group People for Animals. |
23 June 2017 | Delhi-Ballabhgarh train | 1 | 3 | Four Muslims were lynched allegedly over rumors of eating beef. According to the police, the victims had arguments over meat with their co-passengers who attacked them with knife. |
1 May 2017 | Assam | 2 | Two Muslim men were lynched in Nagaon district of Assam on suspicion of stealing cows. While the police managed to rescue the men, both of them died of their injuries. | |
12 May 2017 – 18 May 2017 | Jharkhand | 9 | 2 | At least nine people were killed, including 4 Muslim cattle traders, in four different incidents. |
22 June 2017 | West Bengal | 3 | Three Muslim men were lynched in Islampur, Uttar Dinajpur for allegedly trying to steal cows. A police complaint was made by the mother of the deceased Nasir Haque. According to the Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar Bharat Rathod, the police arrested 3 people and were conducting further investigation. | |
27 June 2017 | Jharkhand | 0 | 1 | Usman Ansari, a 55-year-old Muslim dairy owner, was beaten up and his house set on fire by a mob in Giridih district. According to the police, a headless carcass of a cow was found near his house. The police said that they were forced to perform a lathi-charge, and to fire in the air, to rescue the victim, who was later treated in hospital. |
29 June 2017 | Jharkhand | 1 | Alimuddin, alias Asgar Ansari, was beaten to death by a mob in the village of Bajartand, allegedly for carrying beef. According to Additional Director General of police RK Mallik, the murder was premeditated. | |
10 November 2017 | Alwar, Rajasthan | 1 | 1 | Two cattle traders named Ummar Khan and Tahir Khan were allegedly thrashed and fired at by cow vigilantes. Ummar died on the spot due to bullet wounds, while Tahir was admitted to hospital. |
2018
Date | Location | Dead | Injured | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
13 June 2018 | Dullu, Jharkhand | 2 | Sirabuddin Ansari (35) and Murtaza Ansari (30) lynched in Jharkhand over alleged cattle theft. | |
14 June 2018 | Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh | 1 | Meat Seller Thrashed by UP Police for ‘Cow Slaughter’ Dies in AIIMS. | |
20 June 2018 | Hapur, Uttar Pradesh | 1 | 45-year-old Qasim lynched in UP over cow slaughter rumour This incident was at the center of a sting operation conducted by NDTV. The Chief Justice of India agreed to hear the case based on the sting operation footage. | |
20 July 2018 | Rajasthan | 1 | 31 year old Rakbar Khan was lynched by a mob on allegation of cattle smuggling in Alwar, Rajasthan. A police officer was suspended for delaying medical treatment to the victim as he tried to arrange shelter for the cows before taking injured Rakbar to the hospital. | |
30 August 2018 | Lakshmanpur village, Balrampur, Uttar Pradesh | 0 | 1 | 70 year old Kailash Nath Shukla was taking his cattles to another village for treatment, on his way a mob stopped him and assaulted him badly and threw him in a gutter. |
3 December 2018 | Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh | 2 | A protest against illegal cow slaughter erupted into riots resulting in the death of two; a police officer named Subodh Kumar Singh and a protesting youth. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath described the violence as an ‘accident’ and denied the occurrence of lynchings in Uttar Pradesh even though the DGP hinted about the possibility of a larger conspiracy behind the incident aimed at inciting communal violence in the area. |
2019
Date | Location | Dead | Injured | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
7 April 2019 | Bishwanath Chariali, Assam | 1 | A Muslim man was harassed, humiliated, insulted and beaten by the mobs over beef. The mob suspected 68-year-old Shaukat Ali of selling beef and cornered him, thrashed him, and proceeded to force-feed him pork. | |
11 April 2019 | Gumla, Jharkhand | 1 | 3 | A 50-year-old Christian man was killed and three other were assaulted and beaten by a mob. |
16 May 2019 | Bhaderwah, Jammu and Kashmir | 1 | A Muslim man, Nayeem Ahmed Shah, 50, was shot in the head and died on the spot while another, Yasin Hussain, was injured by “cow vigilantes” over cow-smuggling while families of both denied any animal was carried out by any of them. Soon after the killings protests erupted, with protesters demanding justice while damaging five vehicles, setting afire a three-wheeler. Police used batons, tear gas and imposed curfew to prevent the religious riots. Police arrested two people in connection with the arson incident and 7 were being detained for questioning. | |
22 May 2019 | Seoni, Madhya Pradesh | 4 | A couple and two men were thrashed by a group of vigilantes for allegedly carrying beef in an auto-rickshaw at a village in Madhya Pradesh. In a video of the incident shot by an eyewitness on a mobile phone, the assailants also forced one of the men to beat up the woman accompanying them. The woman was seen being hit repeatedly with a slipper on the head and covered with a piece of cloth, as she curled up on the gravel and endured the blows in silence from the attacker. The police learned of the incident after “two” days that was also only because of viral videos on Twitter and other social media sites. Police arrested both suspects and victims as according to police, victims did not sustain any “serious” injuries and the cow vigilantes had informed them that victims were allegedly carrying 150 kg of red meat in an auto rickshaw and a two-wheeler from Khairi village, police seized the meat, the three-wheeler and the scooter and sent them to Judicial Custody for Allegedly Carrying Red Meat as possession, transportation or sale of beef is illegal in Madhya Pradesh. Five suspects were also arrested under IPC Sections 143, 148, 149, 341, 294, 323 and 506 and also Section 25 of the Arms Act. The incident and the behavior of the police faced wide condemnation and backlash by some Indian politicians and people. | |
1 June 2019 | Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh | 4 | Four including two Muslim labourers were beaten by Mob for allegedly eating meat. Surviving labourers said they were eating vegetarian food. Police started their investigation to arrest the attackers. | |
3 June 2019 | Bhabhua, Biha | 1 | The driver of a truck carrying bones was attacked a mob. Police reached the spot on time and rescued him from lynching. Cow vigilantes opposed the police action and demanded they hand over the driver, also threatening the police officer would be removed from service and face dire consequences. | |
25 June 2019 | Gurgaon, Haryana | 2 | Two men were beaten and thrash by cow vigilantes in Gurgaon, Haryana. The men were admitted to a civil government hospital in Gurugram and later referred to Rohtak Medical College. | |
18 July 2019 | Baniapur, Bihar | 3 | Three men were lynched and beaten by a mob and on referred them to a hospital at Chhapra, where doctors on inspection declared them as dead. | |
9 August 2019 | Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh | 1 | A driver was assaulted by five persons, including a woman, they broke the windows of the vehicle, overturned it and disrupting traffic, who were later arrested by the police. The driver was transporting carcasses of dead cattle to disposal plant in Chhajarsi village but the cow vigilantes were spreading fake news about cow slaughter to the crowd which created ruckus. | |
23 September 2019 | Khunti, Jharkhand | 1 | 2 | Three tribal men were beaten by Bajrang dal people on the suspicion of selling beef in Khunti. Among three one was dead. |
21 November 2019 | Cooch Behar | 2 | Thirteen persons have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the lynching of two men on suspicion of cattle smuggling in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar district. |
2020
Date | Location | Dead | Injured | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
15 June 2020 | Mangalore, Karnataka | 0 | 1 | The driver identified as Mohd Hanif was tied with the tempo on which he was carrying the cattle and beaten by a mob of cow vigilantes on the roadside. The vigilantes also damaged the tempo. Reportedly, the men belonged to Bajrang Dal. |
2021
Date | Location | Dead | Injured | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
23 May 2021 | Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh | 0 | 1 | Mohammad Shakir was allegedly transporting buffalo meat on a scooter when a group stopped him and demanded ₹50,000 from him. Afterwards, he was beaten with sticks. The police later filed an FIR against the victim. |
4 June 2021 | Mathura, Uttar Pradesh | 1 | 7 | A 50-year-old truck driver, identified as Mohammad Shera, was shot dead and his seven associates assaulted by a mob alleging that the victims were smuggling cows. |
12 June 2021 | Tinsukia, Assam | 1 | 28-year-old Sarat Moran was tied in an open field and killed by a mob which suspected him of attempting to steal a cow from a cowshed. | |
14 June 2021 | Chittorgarh, Rajasthan | 1 | 1 | Babu Bheel and his associate were carrying bulls in a truck and were assaulted by suspected cow vigilantes with sticks and other weapons. According to preliminary investigation, the bulls were purchased for farm use. |
23 June 2021 | Jammu and Kashmir | 1 | 2 |
2023
Date | Location | Dead | Injured | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
07 Mar 2023 | Chhapra | 1 | 1 | A 47 years old man and his nephew was attacked by sharp object and lynched in Chhapra Bihar on the suspicion of carrying Beef. |
10 June 2023 | Nashik | 1 | A 23-year-old man named Lukman Ansari was reportedly lynched by a group of cow vigilantes, commonly known as ‘gau rakshaks,’ in Maharashtra’s Nashik district. |
2024
Date | Location | Dead | Injured | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
7 June 2024 | Raipur, Chhattisgarh | 3 | Hindutva mob attacked and lynched cattle transporters, leaving two dead on spot and one after 10 days. | |
15 June 2024 | Medak, Telegana | 12 | Hindutva vigilante groups attacked and protested cattle transporters, leaving 12 people injured. |