Hindu extremists force elderly Muslim man to bow before cow in India
Bajrang Dal members and others publicly humiliated elderly Muslim man over allegation he kicked cow, renewing concerns over vigilante punishment targeting Muslims
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — Hindu extremists publicly humiliated an elderly Muslim man in central India, forcing him to prostrate before a cow and rub his nose on the ground after accusing him of kicking the animal, in the latest case of Muslims facing vigilante punishment in the name of cow protection.
The incident took place in Jamner in Guna district of Madhya Pradesh state, where the man was surrounded by a group that included members of the Hindu extremist Bajrang Dal and local residents.
Videos circulating on social media show the elderly man being forced to rub his nose against the ground before the cow, perform a full-body prostration and touch the animal’s feet as an apparent act of apology.
The humiliation followed an allegation that the Muslim man had kicked the cow. The circumstances surrounding that accusation, including what happened before the confrontation, remain unclear.
There was no immediate information about whether police had registered a case against those who subjected the man to public punishment or whether anyone had been arrested.
The cow has become a focal point of violent Hindu majoritarian politics in India, with Muslims repeatedly assaulted, lynched and publicly humiliated over accusations involving beef, cattle slaughter or the transportation of cows.
Bajrang Dal, whose members were allegedly involved in the Guna incident, is a hard-line Hindu organization affiliated with the Vishva Hindu Parishad, or VHP.
Both belong to the broader Hindu nationalist network led by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
Stray cattle have become a widespread problem across parts of India, frequently wandering onto roads, farms and residential areas.
For Muslims, encounters with such animals can carry an additional risk, with accusations of harming or mistreating cows sometimes triggering harassment or violence by Hindu vigilantes.
The episode adds to concerns over cow vigilantism in India, where accusations involving cattle have frequently become a vehicle for violence and intimidation against Muslims, particularly since Modi’s Hindu nationalist BJP came to power nationally in 2014.
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