A Muslim man in Uttar Pradesh’s Barabanki district was allegedly forced by a group calling themselves cow vigilantes to kneel before a calf as an act of religious devotion. The group accused him of making offensive remarks about cows, animals considered sacred by Hindus.
According to a video shared by a group called Sanatan Gauraksha Dal on Saturday, the man had allegedly made inflammatory comments about the animal. In response, the self-styled cow protection group confronted him in public. Around 15 to 20 people surrounded him, and the video reportedly shows them repeatedly hitting him even as he tried to apologise.
Members of the group also made him call his father and used abusive language to threaten him. He was then dragged to a shed, where the group forced him to kneel before a calf, touch its legs, and chant a religious slogan while they showed him how to prostrate before the animal. In their social media post about the incident, the Hindutva group used the word “jihadis” and claimed the man and his associates had threatened to create a “Holi of blood,” an apparent reference to violence. The video of the incident has spread widely online since it was posted.
After the video began circulating, police responded on social media by asking users to share full details of the incident and to file a formal complaint at the relevant police station so action could be taken. However, when asked about the case directly, a public relations officer for the Barabanki Superintendent of Police said the department was unaware of the incident, despite having responded to it online earlier.
Congress Member of Parliament Syed Naseer Hussain shared the video and condemned the incident, calling it deeply disturbing. He said such acts amount to crimes that violate human dignity and constitutional rights rather than genuine expressions of faith, and argued that vigilante groups acting with impunity to assault and humiliate citizens points to a serious governance failure under the state’s ruling party. Hussain called on the Uttar Pradesh government to take strict action against the group involved and to ensure no one is allowed to take the law into their own hands.
The incident is the latest in a series of similar episodes involving self-appointed cow protection groups in Uttar Pradesh and other states, where members of religious minorities have faced public humiliation, violence, or forced religious rituals over accusations related to cows.
