Indian police announced on Thursday that they are in the process of compiling lists of right-wing Hindu 'cow vigilantes' following the fatal shooting of a young man falsely accused of smuggling beef. The recent killing of 19-year-old Aryan Mishra in the northern state of Haryana has ignited unprecedented outrage, largely due to the fact that the victim was a Hindu. Cows hold a sacred status among India's Hindu majority, and their slaughter is prohibited in numerous Indian states. Authorities frequently face accusations of failing to curb the activities of Hindu extremists who form 'cow vigilante' groups to assault individuals suspected of involvement in cattle slaughter, resulting in multiple fatalities annually.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has previously denounced attacks on cattle traders and beef-eaters, yet critics argue that extremists have been emboldened by the Hindu nationalist rhetoric of his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). A significant number of those accused of transporting or slaughtering cows belong to India's 220-million-strong Muslim community, with social media inundated with videos glorifying vigilante attacks. Mishra was killed on August 24 on a highway after an armed mob pursued his car for 50km, mistakenly believing he was transporting beef. Five individuals have been arrested in connection with the killing, and senior Haryana police officer Aman Yadav disclosed that the force is compiling a 'list of cow vigilantes' to monitor their activities.
The recent surge in attacks has exacerbated concerns over escalating violence against minorities and sparked broader discussions about religious intolerance. 'When vigilantes receive a free hand from authorities, tragedies like the one in Haryana are inevitable,' the Times of India editorialized on Thursday, cautioning that 'over the past decade, cow vigilantism has nearly become normalized.' Earlier this week, a 72-year-old Muslim man was assaulted on a train after being accused of carrying beef. Last month, a Muslim waste picker was lynched by a mob in Haryana, under suspicion that he had consumed beef. The Times of India noted that it was 'telling' that the shock surrounding Mishra's murder 'revolved around the fact that he, a Hindu, was erroneously targeted.' 'It is equally telling that vigilantism...fails to elicit societal outrage, let alone consistent and swift police action,' it added. 'But police and authorities should be very wary.'
