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. The south of India has also seen its share of such incidents. A Bharatiya Janata Party worker, Praveen Poojary (29), was beaten to death allegedly by activists of the Hindu Jagrana Vedike (HJV) for transporting cattle at Karjike in Udupi district.
