Mobs of angry Hindus are increasingly killing “beef-eaters,” cattle traders, and dairy farmers in India, with at least four mobs and two lynchings since April.
Eating beef is illegal in much of India because of the animals’ sacred stature in the Hindu religion, and resulting conflicts have been on the rise due to the country’s expanding Muslim population. India Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the attacks Thursday after nationwide demonstrations against the violence, the Guardian reported Thursday.
A violent mob of Hindus yelling “beef-eater” lynched and stabbed a Muslim teenager to death on June 23. The mob also attacked three other Muslims who were with the teenager. Another man, a Muslim cattle trader, was beaten to death in April by hundreds of angry Indians calling themselves “cow protectors.” And in May, two more Muslim boys were chased and beaten with sticks by villagers accusing them of stealing cows.
“No person in this nation has the right to take the law in his or her own hands,” Modi said, condemning the Hindu’s attacks. “It is not something Mahatma Gandhi would have approved.”
In the protests leading up to Modi’s statements, thousands of moderate Hindus gathered, carrying signs that read “not in my name.”
Modi is a member of the Hindu nationalist party, which does not make a habit of acknowledging the attacks. In 2016, however, he argued many of the so-called “cow vigilantes” were only thugs looking for an excuse to commit crimes, the Guardian reported.
Send Tips: anders@dailycallernewsfoundation.org
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.