WR Desk: A Muslim man in northern India was allegedly beaten and forced by a group of Hindu vigilantes to worship a calf after they accused him of making offensive remarks about cows, in an incident captured on video that has sparked calls for police action. The assault took place in Uttar Pradesh’s Barabanki district and was recorded in a video shared on social media by a Hindutva group identifying itself as Sanatan Gauraksha Dal.
The footage, which has circulated widely online, appears to show around 15 to 20 men surrounding the victim, repeatedly assaulting him as he apologized and pleaded with them. The video then shows the group forcing the man to call his father before dragging him to a cowshed, where he was made to kneel before a calf, touch its legs, chant a Hindu religious slogan and prostrate himself before the animal while members of the Hindutva group demonstrated how to perform the ritual.
In a social media post accompanying the video, the group referred to Muslims as “jihadis” and claimed, without providing evidence, that the victim and his associates had threatened to create a “Holi of blood,” an apparent reference to communal violence.
After the footage began circulating, Uttar Pradesh Police responded on social media, asking users to provide details of the incident and submit a formal complaint so action could be taken. However, when questioned by journalists, a public relations officer for the Barabanki Superintendent of Police said the department was unaware of the incident despite its earlier online response.
Syed Naseer Hussain, a member of India’s upper house of Parliament, condemned the incident, describing it as a grave violation of human dignity and constitutional rights rather than an expression of religious faith. He said the assault reflected a broader failure of governance, arguing that self-styled vigilante groups were operating with impunity under the state’s ruling administration.
Hussain urged the Uttar Pradesh government to take strict action against those involved and ensure that no private group is allowed to enforce its own version of the law through violence and intimidation. The incident is the latest in a series of attacks involving Hindu extremist cow vigilantes in India, where Muslims have faced assaults, public humiliation and forced religious acts after being accused of offenses related to cows.
Human rights organizations have repeatedly warned that such vigilante violence has increasingly targeted members of the country’s Muslim minority while perpetrators often evade accountability.