RSS-backed cow vigilantes escalate violence in India
Political endorsement fuels impunity, minorities face growing attacks
New Delhi: In 2025, India continues to grapple with a surge in violence perpetrated by so-called cow vigilantes, many of whom have evolved into armed thugs operating with alarming impunity.
According to Kashmir Media Service, these groups, closely linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)—the ideological parent of the ruling BJP—are responsible for numerous attacks targeting Muslims and other minorities under the pretense of protecting cows and combating the alleged threat of “love jihad.”
A chilling illustration of this violence occurred in Gujarat on March 14, 2025, when a woman was brutally assaulted simply for possessing meat. Similar incidents have erupted elsewhere, including Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur district on January 25 and Rajasthan’s Alwar district on June 7, underscoring a widespread pattern of mob brutality fueled by sectarian rhetoric.
Adding to the list, an incident in Bihar’s Gopalganj district on August 20 exposed the ongoing intimidation of minorities over livestock rearing. An elderly Muslim couple was threatened and falsely accused of cow smuggling by Pradeep Maurya, a local Hindu leader, despite their clear explanation that the animals were bought for milk and rearing. A video of the confrontation went viral on social media, sparking outrage over blatant religious profiling and harassment.
The Human Rights Watch World Report of 2018 revealed that the RSS explicitly announced plans to recruit 5,000 “religious soldiers” tasked with controlling cow smuggling and “love jihad.” This recruitment campaign signified a concerted effort to mobilize vigilante cadres, some of whom are reportedly armed, thereby institutionalizing vigilantism as a method of enforcing communal ideologies. Although this figure stems from an RSS announcement, it remains one of the clearest indications of the organizational scale behind such groups.
Meanwhile, the United Nations has repeatedly condemned these vigilante groups as a direct threat to India’s Muslims and minorities, highlighting their growing aggression and the failure of law enforcement to hold perpetrators accountable. The 2024 UN experts’ statement urges immediate corrective action against these RSS-backed vigilantes who operate with virtual immunity from prosecution.
Compounding the crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has publicly praised the RSS, lauding it as the world’s largest donor organization.
The unchecked violence by these groups and the state’s complicity severely undermines India’s democratic foundations and endangers the safety of minority communities. International human rights bodies continue to call for accountability, yet the government prioritizes political consolidation over justice and protection for all citizens.
