Elderly Muslim man forced to prostrate before cow in India

An elderly Muslim man was publicly humiliated in central India after being accused of kicking a cow, with members of the Hindu extremist Bajrang Dal and local residents forcing him to perform acts of apology before the animal.

The incident occurred in Jamner, Guna district, in Madhya Pradesh state. Videos circulating on social media show the man being forced to rub his nose on the ground in front of the cow, prostrate himself and touch the animal’s feet, Caliber.Az reports, citing US-based Muslim Network TV.

The humiliation reportedly followed an allegation that the man had kicked the cow. The circumstances leading to the confrontation remain unclear, and there was no immediate information on whether police had registered a case against those involved or made any arrests.

The incident has renewed concerns over cow vigilantism in India, where allegations involving cattle have repeatedly been linked to assaults, public humiliation and, in some cases, deadly violence against Muslims.

The cow has become a prominent symbol in Hindu nationalist politics, while accusations related to beef, cattle slaughter or the transportation and mistreatment of cows have frequently been used by Hindu vigilante groups to target members of the Muslim community.

Bajrang Dal, whose members were allegedly among those involved in the Guna incident, is a hard-line Hindu organization affiliated with the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP). Both organizations are part of the broader Hindu nationalist network associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent organization of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Stray cattle have also become a significant problem in parts of India, often wandering onto roads, farmland and residential areas. For Muslims, encounters with cows can carry an additional risk, as allegations of harming or mistreating the animals have at times triggered harassment or violence by Hindu vigilantes.

The latest episode adds to longstanding concerns over the use of accusations involving cattle as a pretext for intimidation and violence against Muslims, particularly since the BJP came to power nationally in 2014.

By Vafa Guliyeva