In the name of protecting cows, the self-proclaimed "cow protectors" unleashed violence in several parts of the country. Though they were isolated incidents, the victims were mostly from minority and socially disadvantaged communities.
The brutal killing of Mohammad Akhlaq in Dadri on September 28, 2015 by angry villagers following a rumour that his family was in possession of cow meat, highlighted the seriousness of mob attacks in the name of cow protection. The Dadri incident however, was not the first. May 2015 saw Abdul Qureshi in Rajasthan meet his end after he was beaten brutally for selling meat.
Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh have reported incidents of cow vigilantism over the last three years.
But the spate of mob violence from April this year were triggered due to the fear of child abduction.
Rumours spread like wildfire on instant messaging platforms such as WhatsApp about children being kidnapped from neighbouring villages and killed for organ harvesting, leading to mob violence in many parts of the country.
The origin of rumour was believed to be a video circulated on Whatsapp purportedly showing motorcycle clad men abducting a child playing in an avenue. This has led to over 20 murders and a spate of mob violence in several parts of the country including the southern states, Maharashtra, Gujarat, West Bengal, Assam and Tripura.
