The cow protection movement has been a religious and political movement aiming to protect the cows, whose slaughter has been broadly opposed by Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs. While the opposition to slaughter of animals, including cows, has extensive and ancient roots in Indian history, the term refers to modern movements dating back to the colonial era British India. The earliest such activism is traceable to Sikhs of Punjab who opposed cow slaughter in the 1860s. The movement became popular in the 1880s and thereafter, attracting the support from the Arya Samaj founder Swami Dayananda Saraswati in the late 19th century, and from Mahatma Gandhi in the early 20th century.

The cow protection movement gained broad support among the followers of Indian religions particularly the Hindus, but it was broadly opposed by Muslims. Numerous cow protection-related riots broke out in the 1880s and 1890s in British India. The 1893 and 1894 cow killing riots started on the day of Bakri-id, a Muslim festival where animal sacrifices are a part of the celebration. Cow protection movement and related violence has been one of the sources of religious conflicts in India. Historical records suggest that both Hindus and Muslims have respectively viewed "cow protection" and "cow slaughter" as a religious freedom.

Why the Cow?

Cow is the mother. It is said that before getting a human birth one has to pass through the yoni of a cow. And after leaving the human body, the soul once again enters the body of a cow before treading its journey beyond or below as per individual karma. Whenever a death happens in a house, you will always find a cow or a bull straying around, for this reason only. This is also the reason why offerings are made to the cow for propitiating one's ancestors. Why the cow? Because cow holds within it the power of Gayatri, the mother. Have you ever noticed the hump of a desi cow? It carries a specific Nadi called the Surya Ketu nadi. This nadi absorbs the frequencies from sun, moon and all the luminaries of Creation. Service to the cow - saving it, nurturing it and protecting its calf - has the effect of transferring this positive frequency to an individual which may then be used for negating imbalances in the body, environment or for upliftment of the soul. On the other hand, killing or harming this being, consuming its meat, has the opposite effect - breeding disease, and paving the way for lower painful births. All religions and cultures of the world, and even modern medicine accepts, that cow beef spells disease in a human. Cow Protection through History

Cow Slautering in India

In India, cow vigilante violence is the use of physical force in the name of "cow protection". Since 2014, mob attacks targeting mostly illegal cow smugglers, but in some cases even licensed cow traders, have become prominent. There is a debate on whether there has actually been any change in the number of such incidences, as Government Data points out to reduced communal tensions post 2014. Cattle slaughter is banned in most states of India. Recently emerged cow vigilante groups, claiming to be protecting cattle, have been violent leading to a number of deaths. Cow-protection groups see themselves as preventing theft, protecting the cow or upholding the law in an Indian state which bans cow slaughter. According to a Reuters report, a total of 63 cow vigilante attacks had occurred in India between 2010 and mid 2017, mostly since the Modi government came to power in 2014. In these attacks between 2010 and June 2017, "28 Indians – 24 of them Muslims – were killed and 124 injured", states the Reuter's report.Cattle slaughter, especially cow slaughter is a controversial topic in India because of the cattle's traditional status as an endeared and respected living being to some sects of Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Zoroastrianism while being considered an acceptable source of meat by Muslims and Christians as well as adherents of other non-Dharmic Religions in India, such as the Animistic and Abrahamic religions.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 economic necessity.Cattle slaughter has also been opposed by various Indian religions because of the ethical principle of Ahinsa (non-violence) and the belief in the unity of all life.Legislation against cattle slaughter is in place throughout most states of India except Kerala, Goa, West Bengal, and states of Northeast India.

On 26 October 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. 20 out of 28 states in India currently have various laws regulating act of slaughtered cow, prohibiting the slaughter or sale of cows. Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Goa, Kerala, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura and West Bengal are the states where there are no restrictions on cow slaughter. As per existing meat export policy in India, the export of beef (meat of cow, oxen and calf) is prohibited. Bone in meat, carcass, half carcass of buffalo is also prohibited and is not permitted to be exported. Only the boneless meat of buffalo, meat of goat and sheep and birds are permitted for export. India feels that the restriction on export to only boneless meat with a ban on meat with bones will add to the brand image of Indian meat. Animal carcasses are subjected to maturation for at least 24 hours before deboning. Subsequent heat processing during the bone removal operation is believed to be sufficient to kill the Foot-and-Mouth Disease virus.

According to a 2016 United States Department of Agriculture review, India has rapidly grown to become the world's largest beef exporter, accounting for 20% of world's beef trade based on its large water buffalo meat processing industry. Surveys of cattle slaughter operations in India have reported hygiene and ethics concerns. According to United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization and European Union, India beef consumption per capita per year is the world's lowest amongst the countries it surveyed. Under the current trade laws of India, the export and import of beef (meat of cow, oxen and calf) is prohibited. Bone in meat, carcass, half carcass of buffalo is also prohibited and is not permitted to be exported. Only the boneless meat of buffalo (carabeef) is permitted for export. The buffalo-meat exports constitute the predominant portion of the beef trade in India. India produced 3.643 million metric tons of beef in 2012, of which 1.963 million metric tons was consumed domestically and 1.680 million metric tons was exported. According to a 2012 report, India ranks fifth in the world in beef production and seventh in domestic consumption. The Indian government requires mandatory microbiological and other testing of exported beef.

There has been a rise in the number of incidents of cow vigilantism since the election of the central government in 2014. The frequency and severity of cow vigilante violence has been described as "unprecedented". Human Rights Watch has reported that there has been a surge in cow vigilante violence since 2015. The surge is attributed to the recent rise in Hindu nationalism in India. Many vigilante groups say they feel "empowered" by the victory of the Hindu nationalist in the 2014 election. The Supreme Court of India in September 2017 ruled that each state should appoint a police officer in each district to take strict action against cow vigilantism. The court also expressed its concerns that animals were being illegally slaughtered such as the case of 200 slaughtered cattle found floating in a Bihar river.

Background and history

The central government has run the Indian federal government since its election in 2014. Following Narendra Modi's rise to power, extremist Hindu 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. Dalit groups are particularly vulnerable to such attacks, as they are frequently responsible for disposing cattle carcasses and skins. The perpetrators of these attacks, described as "vigilantism" by Human Rights Watch, have stated that they are protecting the rights of Hindus, and that the police do not adequately deal with cow slaughter. Scholar Radha Sarkar has argued that "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." In 2015 Business Insider reported that vigilante attacks on trucks carrying cattle had increased in Maharastra. In 2017, Bloomberg reported that according to the meat industry representatives, cow vigilantes have been stopping vehicles, extorting money and stealing valuable livestock. Cow vigilante activity also increased during the run up to 2015 Bihar Legislative Assembly election. The central government leader Sushil Kumar Modi said the election was "a fight between those who eat beef and those who are against cow slaughter". The Economist argued in 2016 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. Analysing the reasons for the vigilantism, academic Christophe Jaffrelot has said that the attempting to transform society from within through a sense of discipline which it believes is needed for defending Hindus more effectively. He also has stated that the Hindu nationalists do not want the state to prevail over the society, and want the society to regulate itself, with an importance on social order and hierarchy, that is part of Hindutva ideology. According to him, this Hindu nationalist approach gives the act of policing a greater legitimacy and it is clearly synonymous with the populist behaviour, since for the populist leader, the people and their will prevail over the law and institutions

Analysing the reasons for the vigilantism, academic Christophe Jaffrelot has said that the attempting to transform society from within through a sense of discipline which it believes is needed for defending Hindus more effectively. He also has stated that the Hindu nationalists do not want the state to prevail over the society, and want the society to regulate itself, with an importance on social order and hierarchy, that is part of Hindutva ideology. According to him, this Hindu nationalist approach gives the act of policing a greater legitimacy and it is clearly synonymous with the populist behaviour, since for the populist leader, the people and their will prevail over the law and institutions

Law,State Support and Legal Issues

The central government have introduced some restrictions on the slaughter of cattle. The slaughter of cattle for exporting beef was banned in May 2017. This restriction threatened an Indian beef export industry worth $4 billion annually. Several Indian states further restricted the slaughter of cows. For example, Maharashtra passed stricter legislation banning the possession, sale and consumption of beef in March 2015. Cow vigilantes have also been emboldened by these laws, and attack Muslims suspected of smuggling cattle for slaughter.

Some Indian states have been accused of having laws that enable cow protection groups. In April 2017 the governments of six states: Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh were asked by the Supreme court to answer a request to ban cow-protection related vigilantism. 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 they have the support of the government.

In November 2016, the central government decided to provide ID cards for cow vigilantes. However they were not issued despite collecting the details of vigilantes. According to Russia Today and Human Rights Watch, many cow protection vigilante groups are allied with the central government. According to BBC News, many cow-protection vigilantes attend training camps organized by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which is central government parent organization. Mukul Kesavan, in The Telegraph, accused central government officials of justifying vigilantism. He pointed out that after some vigilante attacks, the central government officials tried to get the police to charge the victims (or their family) for provoking the assault. In 2018, a three judge bench of the Supreme Court, made observations that such incidents of vigilantism was mob violence and a crime. In addition, it placed the responsibility to prevent such crimes, on the states.