Violence, money & politics: Rise of cow vigilantes in Karnataka | LME 78

Around Eid this year, disturbing footage began circulating from Bengaluru.

That’s Puneeth Kerehalli, a self-proclaimed cow protector, an accused in a murder case, and a repeat offender.

In the videos, he can be seen barging into Muslim homes, pulling people out, and filming the entire thing like it’s some twisted reality show.

His claim is that he is “rescuing” cattle and goats allegedly meant for Eid sacrifice.

But this isn't a rescue. This is intimidation. It’s trespass.

A formal complaint was filed by lawyers and activists the next day, asking police to take preventive action.

But the police didn’t act, citing Bakrid holidays and staff shortage.

Now here’s the thing. Puneeth Kerehalli has done this before.

And Karnataka has seen this pattern for years.

Cow vigilantism here has grown louder, bolder, and more violent.

What began as fringe activism has now morphed into organised coercion and extortion.

Today, it isn’t about animal protection anymore.

It’s about money, power, and targeting minorities.

Let me explain.

What you eat, wear, or believe is your personal choice. But people like Puneeth Kerehalli want to take that away. Because spreading hate and fear is their business model.

And the sad part? Many ‘news’ channels give them a platform, and become enablers.

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Puneeth Kerehalli is part of a group called Rashtra Rakshana Pade.

He is also an accused in the murder of a cattle transporter.

In March 2023, in Karnataka’s Ramanagara district, a cattle transporter named Idrees Pasha was found dead. 

Earlier that day, Puneeth and his group had intercepted Pasha's vehicle near Sathanur. 

Despite the cattle being legally transported with proper documents, Puneeth allegedly demanded Rs 1 lakh from the transporters. When they refused, the situation escalated. Witnesses say a taser was used. The autopsy confirmed this. 

This wasn’t Puneeth’s first encounter with law enforcement. He had 17 criminal cases against him before this incident, including allegations of harassment and intimidation of cattle traders, particularly from minority communities. 

Puneeth was arrested and charged with murder. He was in jail for a month. 

But he has continued to use the same methods.

In March 2024, in Bengaluru, two men — Aleemulla Baig and Rafiq — were transporting cattle to Tamil Nadu. Here too the same story repeated. Puneeth stopped them, accused the men of illegal transportation and demanded money. And when they refused, the group used violence.

Aleemulla later filed a police complaint, and Puneeth was booked.

In July 2024, Puneet and his associates stormed the railway station, alleging that a recently unloaded shipment was dog meat. The incident was being telecasted live on TV. 

The media and Puneet pressured the trader to open cartons. But he pushed back, saying that he has all the required licenses.

Later, official lab reports confirmed — the meat was sheep, not dog.

Police filed three FIRs, two against Puneet.

Despite all this, Puneeth has continued to be active in public, causing chaos. Sometimes even seen giving instructions to police.

And that’s the real warning sign.

Because what we’re seeing isn’t just rogue behaviour by one man. It’s part of a larger, more organised pattern, where violence is packaged as cow protection, and crime is masked as religious duty.

One case that exposes the deadly consequences of this vigilantism is that of Hussainabba.

In 2018, he was transporting cattle through Udupi when he was stopped by a group of Bajrang Dal members. They claimed he was moving cattle illegally.

Hours later, his body was found near a hillock. A magisterial inquiry confirmed that he died in police custody. Ten people were arrested — seven vigilantes and three police officers.

The system went after the victim, and those responsible included the very people supposed to uphold the law.

At the heart of a lot of such cases is money. Sometimes it’s a few thousand rupees. Sometimes, a couple of lakhs.

Take the vigilante attack in Doddaballapura near Bengaluru.

According to the Bengaluru police, the motive was hardly animal protection. It was extortion. 

The vigilantes allegedly demanded money from the transporters, using the cow slaughter narrative as cover.

The police eventually stepped in. Up to 23 people were arrested for the violence. And six cases were filed against a social media group that was allegedly spreading fake news and hate about the incident.

But to understand how we got here, we need to go back. Because cow vigilantism has a long, bloody, and political history in Karnataka.

Rewind to March 13, 2005. 

Two Muslim men, Hajabba and Hasanabba — a father and son — were stripped, beaten, and paraded through the streets by members of the Hindu Yuva Sene in Karnataka’s coastal region.

Notably, among the men involved in that assault was Yashpal Suvarna, now an MLA of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Then a member of the Hindu Yuva Sene, Yashpal had gained notoriety for his role in the brutal public humiliation of Hajabba and Hasanabba.

That violence, carried out in the name of cow protection, didn’t end his political career. It launched it.

He built on that momentum– from beef politics to the hijab ban.

And in 2023, Yashpal Suvarna was elected as the BJP MLA from Udupi.

These aren’t just stories limited to Karnataka. In state after state, the script repeats.

In August 2016, Madhya Pradesh saw a wave of fake gau rakshaks. stopping Muslim cattle traders, demanding money, and walking away scot-free. 

The police launched an investigation, but it showed how easily the cow protection label can be misused.

Then in May 2023, farmers in Haryana started speaking out. 

They said so-called cow vigilantes were setting up illegal checkpoints — especially in places like Hisar. 

Truck drivers transporting cattle were being forced to pay around Rs 8,000 per trip. One gang was even busted. 

Agra, April 2023.

During Navratri, a calf was found slaughtered. Hindu Mahasabha members filed FIRs, and police quickly arrested four Muslim men. 

But the investigation showed that nine people, including activists, had actually conspired to kill the calf themselves. Why? To frame their rivals. 

Once again, it wasn’t about religion. It was about personal revenge and settling scores.

And in November 2022, beef traders in Tamil Nadu came forward. 

They said vigilantes were running extortion rackets at state checkposts. 

Armed men would stop cattle trucks and demand Rs 10,000 to Rs 30,000 to let them through.

Even with valid documents, they were being harassed.

What ties all of these stories together — from Udupi to Bengaluru, Hisar to Agra — is a dangerous pattern.

People taking the law into their own hands. And systems that look the other way.

But there is a law. And it’s very clear on who is allowed to act — and how.

Karnataka’s 2020 cow protection law is one of the strictest in the country. It tightly regulates the transport and sale and bans the slaughter of cattle.

But it does not call for vigilante action. 

Only authorised officers — not self-styled gau rakshaks — are allowed to inspect, seize, or arrest. Though a vague ‘good faith’ clause can be misused by vigilantes to justify illegal acts.

And Karnataka isn’t the only state with strict cattle protection laws.

States like Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat too have similar laws. But not a single one allows mobs or vigilantes to detain people, raid homes, or livestream attacks.

So what we’re witnessing isn’t enforcement. It’s lawlessness. It’s targeted violence hiding behind a law that was never meant to enable it.

And when the state fails to stop it, or worse — is seen working alongside it — the damage goes far beyond one case, one victim, or one state.

It sends a message that violence is negotiable. 

And that message doesn’t just endanger cattle traders. It endangers the rule of law itself.

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Produced by Megha Mukundan, edited by Nikhil Sekhar, GFX by Vignesh Manickam research by Shivani Kava, script by Lakshmi Priya and Pooja Prasanna