ON March 4, various newspapers reported another incident of murder of a truck worker Sandeep by cow vigilantes on February 22, 2025. This is another case that exposes the truth behind the self-proclaimed cow-protector cow vigilantes. AIKS, in a statement issued on March 5, has strongly condemned such brutal attacks on innocent people and demanded that the government take strict action against the killers and ensure no more murders by cow vigilante gangs.  

Balakisan, who was a truck driver, and Sandeep, an assistant, were transporting milch cows from Rajasthan to Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, in a pickup truck. During their journey, around 11-12 people on motorcycles stopped them in Palwal, beat them up accusing them of being cow smugglers, and later threw them into a canal, thinking they had killed them. Balakisan, who was still alive, somehow managed to swim to safety and reported the crime to the police. Sandeep's body was found 15 kilometers away from where he was thrown, 15 days after the incident.

Since the arrival of the Modi-led RSS-BJP government at the centre, there has been an increase in such incidents. According to reports, this is the 11th such incident since the beginning of Modi’s third term in May 2024, and in these incidents, 11 people have lost their lives. Just last month, on January 25, Mohammad Yusuf was brutally killed by lynching in Palwal district of Haryana itself.

The poison of hatred being spread by the cow vigilantes’ gangs are creating an environment where people are being murdered and perpetrators of crimes being given protection by the police and administration. Among these attacks over 80 per cent victims were belonging to Muslim community shows that it is part of a well-designed hate crime campaign against minorities.   The union and the state government of Haryana have created an environment where so-called gau-rakshaks (cow vigilantes) are deemed as above the law. The role of the RSS-BJP governments in fostering this atmosphere of hatred and creating fear and terror for minorities and dalits, rather than upholding the rule of law, is undeniable. Such neo-fascist tendency of spreading hatred and promoting communal polarisation, is a major attack on the secular fabric of Indian people. Despite the Supreme Court's order to curb hate crimes, attacks are continuing. Such attacks are adversely affecting the livelihood of farmers, cattle rearers and cattle traders.

AIKS demands that the central and state governments take strict action against the culprits to put an end to such ongoing incidents. A special law should be introduced to curb these killings by lynching. The families of those who lose their lives in these incidents should be given a compensation of Rs 1 crore, and the injured should receive Rs 25 lakh as compensation. AIKS also demands the removal of restrictions on animal trade.