In India, self-styled cow-protection vigilantes have used violence against those whom they suspect of consuming beef or slaughtering cows. The vigilante violence has included assault, property damage and murder. Cow vigilantism incidents have increased since 2015, according to Human Rights Watch.[1] The targets of the violence are often Muslims and low-caste Hindus.[2]
Many Hindus regard cows as holy and cow-slaughter is banned in most parts of India. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have denounced the vigilantes, saying they were not legitimate "gau rakshaks" (cow protection volunteers).[2]
Background edit
In India, Hindus constitute 80% of the population and many revere the cow as a sacred animal.[3] However, many of India's Scheduled tribes and Scheduled castes, who account for 25% of the country's population, are beef eaters. Muslims and Christians also eat beef.[3] Eating beef is legal in the states of Kerala, West Bengal and most of the Northeastern region.[3] Attempts to enact a nationwide ban on beef in India have not been successful.[4]
While India exports buffalo meat, its foreign trade policy forbids export of cow meat.[5]
History of violence edit
The first cow protection group was launched in 1870 in Punjab. In 1883, Dayananda Saraswati formed a cow protection committee.[6] Such groups protested cow slaughter, and petitioned the government to ban it. At issue was the Muslim consumption of beef.[7] In 1883, cow protection riots between Hindus and Muslims broke out in Punjab; in 1888-93, there were riots in the United Provinces; in 1893-95, rioting broke out in Bombay and Mahrashtra.[7] At least, 100 people were killed in the 1893 riot.[6] While cow protection was the main issue, historians point out that this conflict was exacerbated by class tensions between Hindus and Muslims, who often differed in land ownership and occupation.[7] For example, in Punjab, the cow protection riots built on long-standing conflicts between Muslim peasants and Hindu traders; in the United Provinces there had been pre-existing tensions between Muslim landlords and Hindu peasants in rural areas and between Hindu bankers and Muslim artisan in urban areas.[7]
In 1966, eight people were killed in riots outside the Indian Parliament in Delhi, while demanding a national ban on cow slaughter.[6]
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.[8][9]
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.[10]
In 2012, Dalit students organized a "beef festival" on the Osmania University campus. They were opposed by a Hindu student group.[4] In the resulting clashes, one student was stabbed, five others were injured and many vehicles were burnt.[11]
In 2015 Business Insider reported that vigilante attacks on trucks carrying cattle had increased in Maharastra.[5] In 2017, Bloomberg reported that according to the meat industry representatives, cow vigilantes have been stopping vehicles, extorting money and stealing valuable livestock.[12]
Post-2014 edit
Recently there has been an increase in cow vigilantism in India, especially after Narendra Modi's BJP government came to power in 2014.[13][14][15] The frequency and severity of cow-related violence have been described as "unprecedented".[16] Human Rights Watch has reported that there has been a surge in cow vigilante violence since 2015.[1] The surge is attributed to the recent rise in Hindu nationalism in India.[16][13] Many vigilante groups say they feel "empowered" by the victory of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2014 election.[6] 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.[17]
Cow vigilantes have also been emboldened by beef bans in certain states.[16][18] For example, in March 2015, Maharashtra passed stricter legislation with regards to cow slaughter; the legislation sparked public debate and received extensive media attention.[16]
Cow vigilante activity also increased during the run up to Bihar Legislative Assembly election, 2015.[17]
As of 2016, vigilante groups were estimated to have sprung up in "hundreds, perhaps thousands" of towns and villages in northern India.[17]
Contemporary "cow protection" groups edit
As of 2016, cow protection vigilante groups were estimated to have sprung up in "hundreds, perhaps thousands" of towns and villages in northern India.[17] There were an estimated 200 such groups in Delhi-National Capital Region alone.[19] Some of the larger groups claim upto 5,000 members.[20]
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.[20] 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.[20]
The gangs consist of volunteers, many of whom are poor laborers[a]. 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.[20] One member said that cow vigilantism had given him a "purpose in life".[19]
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.[19] Their relationship with the police is disputed: some vigilantes claim to work with the police,[19] while others claim the police is corrupt and incompetent and they must take matters into their own hands.[20]
Many vigilantes believe their actions are approved by the government and Hindus of India. For example, the vigilante group "Gau Rakshak Dal", formed in Haryana in 2012, believe it is acting on government mandate.[b][16]
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.[21]
Response edit
Dalits edit
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".[22] The protests spread across the state. In clashes with the police, one policeman was killed and dozens of protesters were arrested.[22] At least five Dalit youth attempted suicide, one of whom died.[22]
Bharatiya Janata Party edit
Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party is alleged to have supported Cow vigilantism in India.[citation needed] 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.[23][24] In May 2017, Union Minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani has said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) does not support cow protection vigilantes.[25] Siddharth Nath Singh has denied allegations that the BJP administration condones vigilantism and said illegal attacks would be punished.[26]
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that cow vigilantism made him angry and condemned it.[27] Modi has been criticized for not doing enough to end the violence.[27] Zafarul Islam Khan says that Modi has condemned vigilante attacks on Dalits but not vigilante attacks on Muslims.[28] The New York Times stated that Modi is partly to blame, as he has stoked inflammatory rhetoric over cow slaughter.[29]
According to Russia Today and Human Rights Watch, many cow protection vigilante groups are allied with the BJP.[27][1]
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.[30]
Supreme Court of India edit
Some Indian states are accused of having laws that enable cow protection groups:[31]
- Section 12 of the Gujarat Animal Prevention Act, 1954,
- Section 13 of Maharashtra Animal Prevention Act, 1976,
- Section 15 of Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Cattle Preservation Act, 1964
The above laws provide protection of "persons acting in good faith under the Act". Members of the Indian National Congress filed a petition with the Supreme Court of India to declare the above laws as "unconstitutional" and to ban cow protection groups.[31] In April 2017, the Supreme Court asked the federal government and that of 6 states to give a response to this petition.
Some notable acts of violence (post-2015) edit
- 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.[1]
- August 2 2015, Uttar Pradesh: a mob beat three men to death, after the men were found carrying buffaloes.[1]
- September 28, 2015, Uttar Pradesh - 2015 Dadri mob lynching: a mob beat a 50-year old man to death and critically injured his 22-year old son. The attack came after a Hindu temple announced that the man had slaughtered a cow.[1]
- 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.[1]
- 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.[1] Later police said they would investigate if Bajrang Dal was behind the attack.
- March 18, 2016, Jharkand - 2016 Jharkhand mob lynching: a 35-year old Muslim cattle trader and a 12-year old boy were found hanging from tree.[1] Police arrested 8 men, including a couple belonging to a cow protection group, in relation with the murders.
- April 3, 2017, Rajasthan - 2017 Alwar mob lynching: a 55-year old Muslim man and his two sons were beaten while they were transporting cows for their dairy farm; the man died of his injuries.[32] A BJP minister, Gulab Chand Kataria, accused the victims of being "cow smugglers", citing two cases against one of the sons. However, the son was acquitted in both cases. The Opposition accused the BJP government of victim blaming instead of arresting the killers.[32]
- 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.[33]
- April 20, Assam: two men, in their 20s, were killed by a mob of cow vigilantes, after being accused of trying to steal cows for slaughter.[27]
Notes edit
- ^ The source says "The men are all daily wage labourers, left behind by India’s surging, but uneven economic growth"[20]
- ^ Sarkar: "Another important material implication of the beef bans is violence, as the bans tacitly legitimize vigilante activity. For example, the Gau Rakshak Dal (cow protection group) was formed in Haryana in 2012 and now perceives itself to be acting upon the mandate of the government. Gau rakshaks (cow protectors) in various States take it upon themselves to punish those they believe to be harming the cow. It should be noted that it is the impression of violation of the cow, not necessarily the violation of the law, that drives these acts of retribution. In many cases, the violence occurs where the law may be silent, such as in the handling of dead cows. What is unquestionable is that the acts of violence themselves are illegal, but gau rakshaks are bolstered by the belief that their actions represent the political will of the state and the Hindus of India. Like the beef bans it stems from, 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."
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "India: 'Cow Protection' Spurs Vigilante Violence".
- ^ a b "Violent vigilante cow protection groups prompt condemnation from Indian PM Narendra Modi".
- ^ a b c Elizabeth Soumya. "Sacred cows and politics of beef in India".
- ^ a b TRIPTI LAHIRI. "India's Battle Over Beef".
- ^ a b "In the Pink". 2015-04-12.
- ^ a b c d Soutik Biswas. "Why the humble cow is India's most polarising animal". BBC News.
- ^ a b c d Judith E. Walsh. A Brief History of India. p. 161.
- ^ "World Report 2003 - India". Human Rights Watch.
- ^ "India: International Religious Freedom Report 2004; BUREAU OF DEMOCRACY, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND LABOR". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 2017-05-24.
- ^ "Shimla village tense after 'cow slaughter'".
- ^ "'Beef festival' turns Osmania into battlefied".
- ^ Ian Marlow and Bibhudatta Pradhan. "Cow-Saving Vigilantes Are a Sign of Rising Political Risk in India".
- ^ a b "Cattle trade ban to halt beef exports, lead to job losses".
Hindu hardliners and cow vigilante groups have been increasingly asserting themselves since Modi's Hindu nationalist government came to power in 2014.
- ^ "India's sweeping ban on cattle slaughter kicks up a storm".
Ever since Narendra Modi became India's Prime Minister three years ago, attacks from so-called "cow vigilantes" have been increasing, with the victims mostly Muslims or lower caste Hindus. Critics fear the new rules will further embolden vigilante groups.
- ^ "Holy Cow: As Hindu Nationalism Surges In India, Cows Are Protected But Minorities Not So Much".
Such attacks on religious minorities have increased across India since Narendra Modi was elected prime minister in 2014, backed by the Hindu nationalist BJP.
- ^ a b c d e Radha Sarkar. "Sacred Slaughter: An Analysis of Historical, Communal, and Constitutional Aspects of Beef Bans in India". Politics, Religion & Ideology. 17 (4).
- ^ a b c d "Cow vigilantes who are threatening Modi's grip on power".
- ^ "India bans sale of cows for slaughter, a move designed to appease conservative Hindus". LA Times.
The rules build on legislation passed in several states, most led by Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, to ban the slaughter of cattle. The laws have stoked violence by Hindu vigilante groups that have attacked Muslims and others on suspicion of smuggling cattle or possessing beef.
- ^ a b c d "The cow keepers: Some cattle vigilante groups operating in Delhi and neighbouring states". Indian Express. 2016-08-08.
- ^ a b c d e f "On patrol with the Hindu vigilantes who would kill to protect India's cows". The Guardian.
- ^ "Cowboys and Indians; Protecting India's cows". The Economist. 2016-08-16.
- ^ a b c "Protests rock Gujarat after Hindu vigilantes brutally beat low-caste youths accused of killing cow".
- ^ "ID cards for cow vigilantes, funding: Hindutva high on Haryana govt agenda". Hindustan Times. 2016-11-08. Retrieved 2017-05-28.
- ^ "Cow vigilantes rue delay in ID cards promised by Haryana govt". Hindustan Times. 2017-01-20. Retrieved 2017-05-28.
- ^ "BJP does not support cow vigilantes, other such groups: Smriti Irani".
- ^ Ian Marlow and Bibhudatta Pradhan. "Cow-Saving Vigilantes Are a Sign of Rising Political Risk in India".
- ^ a b c d "'Cow vigilantes' kill two men over suspected animal theft in India".
- ^ ASAD ASHRAF. "Cowing down".
{{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires|magazine=(help) - ^ "Vigilante Justice in India". New York Times.
- ^ Mukul Kesavan. "The cow as cause - Vigilantism and the BJP".
- ^ a b "'Should cow vigilantes be banned,' SC asks 6 states after Rajasthan killing". Deccan Chronicle.
- ^ a b "Alwar lynching: Pehlu Khan, killed by cow vigilantes, was no cattle smuggler".
- ^ "Cow-protection vigilantes held in Jammu and Kashmir".