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{{see also|Cow protection movement}}
{{see also|Cow protection movement}}
===Before 1800s===
===Before 1800s===
Cow slaughter has been punishable by death in many instances in Indian history. Under the [[Scindia]] of [[Gwalior state]] and the [[Sikh Empire]], people were executed for killing cows.<ref name="McLane2015p276"/>

The "Holi Riot" of 1714 in [[Gujarat]] was in part cow-related.<ref name="Hasan2005p133"/><ref>{{cite book|author=Ishrat Haque|title=Glimpses of Mughal Society and Culture |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t8KbEa118soC&pg=PA92 |year=1992|publisher=Concept|isbn=978-81-7022-382-5|page=92}}</ref> A Hindu had attempted to start the spring festivities of [[Holi]] by burning a public [[Holika]] bonfire, a celebration that his Muslim neighbors objected to. The Muslims retaliated by slaughtering a cow in front of Hindu's house.<ref name="Hasan2005p133"/><ref name="Ghurye1968p305">{{cite book|author=Govind Sadashiv Ghurye|authorlink=G. S. Ghurye|title=Social tensions in India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9AG2AAAAIAAJ |year=1968|publisher=Popular Prakashan|pages=305–306}}</ref> The Hindus gathered, attacked the Muslims, seized the Muslim butcher's son and killed him.<ref name="Hasan2005p133"/><ref name="Ghurye1968p305"/> The Muslims, aided by the Afghan army, sacked the neighborhood, which led Hindus across the city to retaliate. Markets and homes were burnt down. Many Hindus and Muslims died during the Holi riot.<ref name="Hasan2005p133"/> The cycle of violence continued for a few days devastating the neighborhoods in [[Ahmedabad]].<ref name="Hasan2005p133">{{cite book|author1=Mushirul Hasan|author2=Asim Roy|title=Living Together Separately: Cultural India in History and Politics |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=5v56AAAAMAAJ |year=2005|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-566921-3|pages=132–133, 135–139, 143–145}}</ref> The cow-related violence and riots repeated in the years that followed,<ref>{{cite book|author=Partha Sarathy Ghosh|title=BJP and the Evolution of Hindu Nationalism |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=sy-KAAAAMAAJ |year=1999|publisher=Manohar|isbn=978-81-7304-253-9|pages=155–156}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=James Campbell |title=Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency, Volume IV: Ahmedabad|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8xYIAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA256 |year=1879|publisher=Government Central Press|page=256}}</ref> though the only documented 18th-century riots in Ahmedabad are of 1714.<ref name="Hasan2005p133"/>
The "Holi Riot" of 1714 in [[Gujarat]] was in part cow-related.<ref name="Hasan2005p133"/><ref>{{cite book|author=Ishrat Haque|title=Glimpses of Mughal Society and Culture |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t8KbEa118soC&pg=PA92 |year=1992|publisher=Concept|isbn=978-81-7022-382-5|page=92}}</ref> A Hindu had attempted to start the spring festivities of [[Holi]] by burning a public [[Holika]] bonfire, a celebration that his Muslim neighbors objected to. The Muslims retaliated by slaughtering a cow in front of Hindu's house.<ref name="Hasan2005p133"/><ref name="Ghurye1968p305">{{cite book|author=Govind Sadashiv Ghurye|authorlink=G. S. Ghurye|title=Social tensions in India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9AG2AAAAIAAJ |year=1968|publisher=Popular Prakashan|pages=305–306}}</ref> The Hindus gathered, attacked the Muslims, seized the Muslim butcher's son and killed him.<ref name="Hasan2005p133"/><ref name="Ghurye1968p305"/> The Muslims, aided by the Afghan army, sacked the neighborhood, which led Hindus across the city to retaliate. Markets and homes were burnt down. Many Hindus and Muslims died during the Holi riot.<ref name="Hasan2005p133"/> The cycle of violence continued for a few days devastating the neighborhoods in [[Ahmedabad]].<ref name="Hasan2005p133">{{cite book|author1=Mushirul Hasan|author2=Asim Roy|title=Living Together Separately: Cultural India in History and Politics |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=5v56AAAAMAAJ |year=2005|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-566921-3|pages=132–133, 135–139, 143–145}}</ref> The cow-related violence and riots repeated in the years that followed,<ref>{{cite book|author=Partha Sarathy Ghosh|title=BJP and the Evolution of Hindu Nationalism |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=sy-KAAAAMAAJ |year=1999|publisher=Manohar|isbn=978-81-7304-253-9|pages=155–156}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=James Campbell |title=Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency, Volume IV: Ahmedabad|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8xYIAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA256 |year=1879|publisher=Government Central Press|page=256}}</ref> though the only documented 18th-century riots in Ahmedabad are of 1714.<ref name="Hasan2005p133"/>


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In 2010, a mob attacked Muslims in [[Nerwa (Chaupal), Shimla]], after alleged cow slaughter. The mob vandalized Muslim-owned shops and mosques, and some buildings were set on fire.<ref>{{cite news|title=Shimla village tense after ‘cow slaughter’|url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/shimla-village-tense-after--cow-slaughter-/579273/}}</ref>
In 2010, a mob attacked Muslims in [[Nerwa (Chaupal), Shimla]], after alleged cow slaughter. The mob vandalized Muslim-owned shops and mosques, and some buildings were set on fire.<ref>{{cite news|title=Shimla village tense after ‘cow slaughter’|url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/shimla-village-tense-after--cow-slaughter-/579273/}}</ref>


In 2012, some [[Dalit]] students organized a "beef festival" on the [[Osmania University]] campus in Hyderabad. They were opposed by a Hindu student group.<ref name="WSJ">{{cite web|author=TRIPTI LAHIRI|title=India’s Battle Over Beef|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2012/05/02/indias-battle-over-beef/}}</ref> In the resulting clashes, one student was stabbed, five others were injured and many vehicles were burnt.<ref>{{cite news|title=`Beef festival` turns Osmania into battlefied|url=http://zeenews.india.com/news/andhra-pradesh/beef-festival-turns-osmania-into-battlefied_770172.html}}</ref>
In 2012, some [[Dalit]] students organized a "beef festival" on the [[Osmania University]] campus in Hyderabad. They were opposed by a Hindu student group.<ref name="WSJ">{{cite web|author=TRIPTI LAHIRI|title=India’s Battle Over Beef|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2012/05/02/indias-battle-over-beef/}}</ref> In the resulting clashes, one student was stabbed, five others were injured and many vehicles were burnt.<ref>{{cite news|title=`Beef festival` turns Osmania into battlefied|url=http://zeenews.india.com/news/andhra-pradesh/beef-festival-turns-osmania-into-battlefied_770172.html}}</ref>


==2014–present==
==2014–present==

Revision as of 02:25, 2 July 2017

Cow protection-related violence is perpetrated by individuals or groups for the purposes of protecting cows and related cattle from slaughter or theft. Cow protection (gau rakshak) groups emerged in British India in the 19th-century, starting with Sikhs of Punjab in 1860s.[1] The earliest recorded instances of violence in the colonial era India are from 1870s.[2] The cow protection movement spread thereafter,[3] and the 1880s and 1890s witnessed many instances of major cow-related violence. The cow-killing riots of 1893 were the most intense civil disturbance in the Indian subcontinent after the 1857 revolt.[4] Numerous cow-related Hindu-Muslim riots broke out between 1900 and 1947, in different parts of British India, particularly on Islamic festival of sacrifice called Bakri-id, killing hundreds.[5][6][7]

Many Hindus consider cows as sacred.[8] They and followers of other Indian religions such as Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism oppose cow slaughter for several reasons, including the principle of ahimsa towards all living beings.[9][10] By contrast, Muslims sacrifice cows or other animals on Islamic festivals such as Bakri-Id and consume beef. Some Hindus, Christians and followers of other religions also consume beef.[11] After India gained independence, cow slaughter became illegal in many states of India in the 1950s and 1960s.[12][13]

There has been a rise in cow protection related violence since the election of the Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party in 2014.[14][15] Narendra Modi has denounced the violence.[16] The violence has included notable killings, such as the lynchings at Dadri, Jharkand and Alwar. Human Rights Watch has also reported many incidents of assault, harassment and extortion.[17] According to a Reuters report, a total of "28 Indians – 24 of them Muslims – have been killed and 124 injured", between 2010 and June 2017 in cow-related violence.[18]

Background

See also: Cattle slaughter in India

Cattle slaughter is a controversial topic in India because of the cattle's traditional status as an endeared and respected living being to many in Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism,[9][19] in contrast to cattle being considered as a religiously acceptable source of meat by many in Islam, Christianity as well as some in Hinduism and other Indian religions.[20][21][11] More specifically, the cow's slaughter has been shunned because of a number of reasons such as being associated with god Krishna in Hinduism, cattle being respected as an integral part of rural livelihoods and an essential economic necessity.[22][23][24] Historically, cattle slaughter has also been opposed by various Indian religions because of the ethical principle of Ahimsa (non-violence) and the belief in the unity of all life.[25][26][10]

Ian Copland states that "cow slaughter has been a source of bitter contention in South Asia" since the medieval era, because Hindus revere it while Muslims eat it and sacrifice it for the Islamic festival of Id-ul-Adha.[8] Peter van der Veer has stated that "[the] protection of the cow already had a political significance before the British period".[2] The Mughal emperor Akbar banned the killing of cow.[27] After the collapse of the Mughal Empire, cow slaughter was a capital offense in many Hindu and Sikh ruled regions of the subcontinent. The East India Company continued the ban on cow slaughter in many domains. Henry Lawrence, after the British annexed Punjab, banned cattle slaughter in it in 1847, in order to win the popular Sikh support.[27] In the 1857 revolt, the Muslim emperor Bahadur Shah II threatened to blow any Muslim caught sacrificing a cattle during Bakr-Id.[27] The independence leader of India, Mahatma Gandhi, championed cow protection.[28][29][30]

Article 48 of the Constitution of India mandates the state to prohibit the slaughter of cows and calves and other milch and draught cattle.[31][32][33] On October 26, 2005, the Supreme Court of India, in a landmark judgement upheld the constitutional validity of anti-cow slaughter laws enacted by different state governments in India.[34][35][36][37] 24 out of 29 states in India currently have various regulations prohibiting either the slaughter or sale of cows.[38][39][40][41][42] Kerala, West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim are the states where there are no restrictions on cow slaughter.[43][44][45]

The laws governing cattle slaughter in India vary greatly from state to state. The "Preservation, protection and improvement of stock and prevention of animal diseases, veterinary training and practice" is Entry 15 of the State List of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution, meaning that State legislatures have exclusive powers to legislate the prevention of slaughter and preservation of cattle. Some States allow the slaughter of cattle with restrictions like a "fit-for-slaughter" certificate which may be issued depending on factors like age and gender of cattle, continued economic viability etc. Others completely ban cattle slaughter, while there is no restriction in a few states.[31] On 26 May 2017, the Ministry of Environment of Indian Central Government led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) imposed a ban on the sale and purchase of cattle for slaughter at animal markets across India, under Prevention of Cruelty to Animals statutes.[46][47]

Historical violence

See also: Cow protection movement

Before 1800s

Cow slaughter has been punishable by death in many instances in Indian history. Under the Scindia of Gwalior state and the Sikh Empire, people were executed for killing cows.[27]

The "Holi Riot" of 1714 in Gujarat was in part cow-related.[48][49] A Hindu had attempted to start the spring festivities of Holi by burning a public Holika bonfire, a celebration that his Muslim neighbors objected to. The Muslims retaliated by slaughtering a cow in front of Hindu's house.[48][50] The Hindus gathered, attacked the Muslims, seized the Muslim butcher's son and killed him.[48][50] The Muslims, aided by the Afghan army, sacked the neighborhood, which led Hindus across the city to retaliate. Markets and homes were burnt down. Many Hindus and Muslims died during the Holi riot.[48] The cycle of violence continued for a few days devastating the neighborhoods in Ahmedabad.[48] The cow-related violence and riots repeated in the years that followed,[51][52] though the only documented 18th-century riots in Ahmedabad are of 1714.[48]

1800s

According to Mark Doyle, the first cow protection societies on the Indian subcontinent were started by Kukas of Sikhism, a reformist group seeking to purify Sikhism.[1] The Sikh Kukas or Namdharis were agitating for cow protection after the British annexed Punjab. In 1871, states Peter van der Veer, Sikhs killed Muslim butchers of cows in Amritsar and Ludhiana, and viewed cow protection as a "sign of the moral quality of the state".[2] According to Barbara Metcalf and Thomas Metcalf, Sikhs were agitating for the well-being of cows in the 1860s, and their ideas spread to Hindu reform movements.[3]

According to Judith Walsh, widespread cow protection riots occurred repeatedly in British India in the 1880s and 1890s. These were observed in regions of Punjab, United Provinces, Bihar, Bengal, Bombay Presidency and in parts of South Myanmar (Rangoon). The anti-Cow Killing riots of 1893 in Punjab caused the death of at least 100 people.[53][54] The 1893 cow killing riots started during the Muslim festival of Bakr-Id, the riot repeated in 1894, and they were the largest riots in British India after the 1857 revolt.[4]

Riots triggered by cow-killings erupted in Lahore, Ambala, Delhi, United Provinces, Bihar and other places in late 19th-century. In Bombay alone, several hundred people were killed or injured in cow-related violence in 1893, according to Hardy.[7] One of the issues, states Walsh, in these riots was "the Muslim slaughter of cows for meat, particularly as part of religious festivals such as Bakr-Id".[54] The cow protection-related violence were a part of larger communal riots, religious disputes, and class conflicts during the colonial era.[54]

Elsewhere, in 1893 there were riots in Azamgarh and Mau, in eastern Uttar Pradesh. The Azamgarh riots were born out of administrative disputes regarding cow slaughter. Reportedly an inexperienced British officer (Henry Dupernex) ordered Muslims to register with the police, if they wished to slaughter cows for Eid al-Adha. Many of the Muslims interpreted the order as an invitation to sacrifice.[55]

In the town of Mau, there were riots in 1806, states John McLane, that had led to Sadar Nizamat Adawlat to prohibit cow sacrifices in 1808.[56] The Hindus had interpreted this to mean a prohibition to all cattle slaughter. In early 19th-century the prohibition was enforced in a manner Hindu interpreted it. However, in 1860s, the interpretation changed to Muslim version wherein cattle sacrifice was banned in 1808, but not cattle slaughter. This, states McLane, triggered intense dissatisfaction among Hindus.[56][8] Mau, with nearly half of its population being Muslim, resisted Hindu interpretation. When a "local Muslim zamindar (landowner) insisted on sacrificing an animal for his daughter's wedding", a group of local Hindus gathered to object, according to McLane.[56] Four thousand men from Ballia district and two thousand from Ghazipur district joined the Hindus in Mau to stop the sacrifice in 1893. They were apparently motivated by the belief that cows had not been killed in Mau since Akbar's time, but the British were now changing the rules to allow cow killing in new locations. The cow-protecting Hindus attacked the Muslims and looted a bazaar in Mau. The British officials estimated seven Muslims were killed in the riots, while locals placed the toll at 200.[56]

1900–1947

Cattle protection-related violence continued in the first half of the 20th century. Examples of serious cow protection agitation and riots include the 1909 Calcutta riot after Muslims sacrificed a cow in public, the 1912 Faizabad riots after a Maulvi taunted a group of Hindus about a cow he was with, the 1911 Muzaffarpur riot when in retribution for cow slaughter by Muslims, the Hindus threatened to desecrate a mosque.[57] In 1916 and 1917, over the Muslim festival of Bakri-Id, two riots broke out in Patna with widespread rioting, looting and murders in major cities of Bihar. The British officials banned cow slaughter during Muslim Id festival of sacrifice. According to British colonial records, Hindu crowds as large as 25,000 attacked Muslims on Id day, violence broke out at multiple sites simultaneously, and civil authorities were unable to cope with.[57] Many serious anti cow slaughter and cow protection-related riots broke out between 1917 and 1928 across India particularly on Muslim festival of sacrifice, from Punjab through Delhi to Orissa, leading to the arrests of hundreds.[57]

1947–2014

In 1966, eight people were killed in riots outside the Indian Parliament in Delhi, while demanding a national ban on cow slaughter.[14]

In 2002, five Dalit youths were killed by a mob in Jhajjar district, Haryana. The mob were reportedly led by members of the Vishva Hindu Parishad in the presence of local police officials, following false rumors that the Dalits had killed a cow. The local leader of the VHP, Acharya Giriraj Kishore said he had no regrets over the incident, and that the life of a cow was worth more than the lives of five Dalits.[58][59][60] Kishore's comments were condemned by Indian newspapers.[61]

In 2010, a mob attacked Muslims in Nerwa (Chaupal), Shimla, after alleged cow slaughter. The mob vandalized Muslim-owned shops and mosques, and some buildings were set on fire.[62]

In 2012, some Dalit students organized a "beef festival" on the Osmania University campus in Hyderabad. They were opposed by a Hindu student group.[63] In the resulting clashes, one student was stabbed, five others were injured and many vehicles were burnt.[64]

2014–present

The BJP has run the Indian federal government since its election in 2014. Following Narendra Modi's rise to power, there has been an increase in cow protection vigilante groups and resulting violence.[65][66][67] These groups have led attacks across the country that have targeted Muslim and Dalit communities. These attacks have been carried out with the stated intention of protecting cows.[68][69][70][17] Dalit groups are particularly vulnerable to such attacks, as they are frequently responsible for disposing cattle carcasses and skins.[17][71] According to Radha Sarkar, a Masters student at Princeton University, "cow vigilantism itself is not new in India, and violence over the protection of cows has occurred in the past. However, the frequency, impunity, and flagrance of the current instances of cow-related violence are unprecedented."[72]

The surge is attributed to the recent rise in Hindu nationalism in India.[72][65] Many vigilante groups say they feel "empowered" by the victory of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2014 election.[14] The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has been emboldened by the fact that the Prime Minister of India is also one of its members. The RSS has a history of launching vigilante campaigns, including cow protection groups.[73] The perpetrators of these attacks also state that they are protecting the rights of Hindus, and that the police do not adequately deal with cow slaughter.[17][68]

In 2015 Business Insider reported that vigilante attacks on trucks carrying cattle had increased in Maharastra.[74] In 2017, Bloomberg reported that according to the meat industry representatives, cow vigilantes have been stopping vehicles, extorting money and stealing valuable livestock.[15]

Cow vigilante activity also increased during the run up to Bihar Legislative Assembly election, 2015.[73] BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said the election was "a fight between those who eat beef and those who are against cow slaughter".[75][76]

The Economist argues that cow vigilantism can sometimes be a profitable business. It pointed to an Indian Express investigation that found that vigilantes in Punjab charge cattle transporters 200 rupees ($3) per cow in exchange for not harassing their trucks.[77]

"Cow protection" groups

As of 2016, cow protection vigilante groups were estimated to have sprung up in "hundreds, perhaps thousands" of towns and villages in northern India.[73][78] There were an estimated 200 such groups in Delhi-National Capital Region alone.[79] Some of the larger groups claim up to 5,000 members.[80]

One kind of cow protection groups are gangs who patrol highways and roads at night, looking for trucks that might be "smuggling" cows across the state borders.[80] These gangs can be armed; they justify this by claiming that "cow smugglers" themselves are often armed. The Haryana branch of Bhartiya Gau Raksha Dal described to the The Guardian that it had exchanged gunfire with alleged smugglers, killed several of them and lost several of its members too. The gangs have been described as "unorganized", and gang leaders admit that their members can be hard to control.[80]

The gangs consist of volunteers, many of whom are poor laborers.[80] The volunteers often tend to be young. According to a gang leader, "it’s easy to motivate a youth". Often the youth are given "emotional" motivation by being shown graphic videos of animals being tortured.[80] One member said that cow vigilantism had given him a "purpose in life".[79]

The vigilantes often have a network of informers (consisting of cobblers, rickshaw drivers, vegetable vendors etc.) who alert them to suspect anti-cow activities. The gang members and their network often use social media to circulate information.[79] Their relationship with the police is disputed: some vigilantes claim to work with the police,[79] while others claim the police is corrupt and incompetent and they must take matters into their own hands.[80]

Laws, state support, and legal issues

Indian states have been passing stricter laws. For example, in March 2015, Maharashtra passed stricter legislation with regards to cow slaughter.[72][clarification needed] Cow vigilantes have also been emboldened by these laws, and attack Muslims suspected of smuggling cattle for slaughter.[72][81] The BJP government has placed a number of restrictions on the slaughter of cattle. In May 2017 it banned the slaughter of cattle for purpose of exporting beef. This restriction threatened an Indian beef export industry worth $4 billion annually.[65]

Many vigilantes believe their actions are approved by the government and Hindus of the country. For example, the vigilante group "Gau Rakshak Dal", formed in Haryana in 2012, believe it is acting on government mandate. Scholar Radha Sarkar has stated that the bans on beef "tacitly legitimize vigilante activity." Cow protection groups formed in Haryana in 2012 see themselves to now be "acting upon the mandate of the government." Such groups across the country have "[taken] it upon themselves to punish those they believe to be harming the cow." Such incidents of violence have occurred even in situations in which no illegal actions have occurred, such as in the handling of dead cattle. According to Sarkar, cow protection groups have taken actions that they know to be illegal, because they believe that the have the support of the government.[72]

In November 2016, the BJP-led Haryana government has decided to provide ID cards for cow vigilantes. However they were not issued despite collecting the details of vigilantes.[82][83]

According to Russia Today and Human Rights Watch, many cow protection vigilante groups are allied with the BJP.[84][17] According to BBC News, many cow-protection vigilantes attend training camps organized by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has "umbilical ties with the ruling BJP", states Soutik Biswas.[85]

Mukul Kesavan, in The Telegraph, accused BJP officials of justifying vigilantism. He pointed out that after some vigilante attacks, the BJP officials tried to get the police to charge the victims (or their family) for provoking the assault.[86]

In April 2017 the Supreme Court asked the governments of six states – Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh – to respond within three weeks to a plea asking for a ban against cow vigilante groups.[87]

Incidents of violence

A number of incidents of violence have occurred since 2014. According to a June 2017 Reuters report, citing a data journalism website, a total of "28 Indians – 24 of them Muslims – have been killed and 124 injured since 2010 in cow-related violence".[18] The frequency and severity of cow-related violence have been described as "unprecedented".[72]

  • May 30 2015, Rajastan: a 60-year old man who ran a meat shop was beaten to death by a mob with sticks and iron rods.[17]
  • August 2 2015, Uttar Pradesh: 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.[17]
  • Dadri mob lynching refers to case of mob lynching in which a mob of villagers attacked the home of a Muslim man Mohammed Ikhlaq, with sticks and bricks, who they suspected of stealing and slaughtering a stolen cow calf, on the night of 28 September 2015 in Bisara village near Dadri, Uttar Pradesh, India. 52-year-old Mohammad Akhlaq Saifi (Ikhlaq according to some sources) died in that attack and his son, 22-year-old Danish seriously injured.
  • October 9, 2015, Jammu and Kashmir: 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.[17]
  • October 14, 2015, Himachal Pradesh: 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.[17] Later police said they would investigate if Bajrang Dal was behind the attack.
  • Jharkhand mob lynching 2016 Jharkhand mob lynching refers to the case of lynching of two Muslim cattle traders by allegedly Cattle-Protection Vigilantes in Balumath forests in Latehar district in Jharkhand on 18 March 2016.[88][89][90] The attackers killed 32 years old Mazlum Ansari and 15 years old Imteyaz Khan who were found hanging from a tree.
  • On 6 July 2016 a Dalit man Rama Singrahiya, 42, was allegedly beaten using clubs and axes in Gujarat’s Sodhana village by 46 members of the upper caste Mer community, for farming in land meant for cattle grazing. He died at PDU General Hospital in Rajkot a day later.[91]
  • Alwar mob lynching refers to the attack and murder of Phelu Khan, a dairy farmer from Nuh district of Haryana by a group of 200 cow vigilantes affiliated with right-wing Hindutva groups in Alwar, Rajasthan, India. Six others who were with Phelu Khan were also beaten by the cow vigilantes.[68][92]
  • April 24, 2017, Jammu and Kashmir: 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.[93]
  • April 20, 2017, Assam: two men, in their 20s, were allegedly killed by a mob of cow vigilantes, after being accused of trying to steal cows for slaughter.[84]
  • June 23 2017, Delhi-Ballabhgarh train: four Muslims were lynched allegedly over rumors of beef eating.[94][95] According to the police, the victims had arguments over meat with their co-passengers who attacked them with knife.[96]
  • On 1st May 2017, 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.[97]
  • June 22, 2017, West Bengal: 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 SP Amit Kumar Bharat Rathod, they had arrested 3 people named Asit Basu, Asim Basu and Krishna Poddar and conducting further investigation.[98]
  • June 27, 2017, Giridih district, Jharkhand: A 55-year-old Muslim dairy owner Usman Ansari was beaten up and his house was set on fire by mobs. According to the police, a headless carcass of a cow was found near his house and they had to resort to lathi-charge and air firing to rescue the victim. Usman Ansari is being treated in Hospital.[99]
  • June 29, 2017, Bajartand villag, Jharkhand: Alimuddin alias Asgar Ansari was beaten to death by mobs for allegedly carrying beef. According to Additional Director General of police RK Mallik, the murder was premeditated.[100]

Responses

After an attack on four Dalits in Gujarat in July 2016, thousands of members of the Dalit community took to the streets to protest what they saw was "government inaction".[101] The protests spread across the state. In clashes with the police, one policeman was killed and dozens of protesters were arrested.[101] At least five Dalit youth attempted suicide, one of whom died.[101]

Members of the BJP have denied supporting cow slaughter vigilantism. In May 2017, Union Minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani has said that the BJP does not support cow protection vigilantes.[102] Siddharth Nath Singh has denied allegations that the BJP administration condones vigilantism and said illegal attacks would be punished.[103]

In August 2016, Modi said that cow vigilantism made him angry and that he condemned it.[84] Modi has been criticized for not doing enough to end the violence.[84] Zafarul Islam Khan says that Modi has condemned vigilante attacks on Dalits but not vigilante attacks on Muslims.[104] The New York Times stated that Modi is partly to blame, as he has stoked inflammatory rhetoric over cow slaughter.[105]

References

  1. ^ a b Mark Doyle (2016). Communal Violence in the British Empire: Disturbing the Pax. Bloomsbury Academic Publishing. pp. 249 note 16. ISBN 978-1-4742-6826-4.
  2. ^ a b c Peter van der Veer (1994). Religious Nationalism: Hindus and Muslims in India. University of California Press. pp. 90–91. ISBN 978-0-520-08256-4.
  3. ^ a b Barbara D. Metcalf; Thomas R. Metcalf (2012). A Concise History of Modern India. Cambridge University Press. pp. 152–153. ISBN 978-1-139-53705-6.
  4. ^ a b Mark Doyle (2016). Communal Violence in the British Empire: Disturbing the Pax. Bloomsbury Academic Publishing. pp. 157–161. ISBN 978-1-4742-6826-4.
  5. ^ Meena Menon (2012). Riots and After in Mumbai: Chronicles of Truth and Reconciliation. SAGE Publications. pp. 22–37, 55–58, 73–82. ISBN 978-81-321-1935-7.
  6. ^ Gene R. Thursby (1975). Hindu-Muslim Relations in British India. BRILL Academic. pp. 76–88. ISBN 90-04-04380-2.
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source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Violence_related_to_cow_protection_in_India&diff=788554407&oldid=788489295

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