Friday, December 05, 2025 | 11:14 PM ISTहिंदी में पढें
Business Standard
Notification Icon
userprofile IconSearch

In the name of the cow: What motivates gau rakshaks?

In some ways, cow vigilantism is a sorry reflection of state administrative failures

In some ways, cow vigilantism is a sorry reflection of state administrative failures. In other ways, as some locals contend, it is plain bullying
premium

In some ways, cow vigilantism is a sorry reflection of state administrative failures. In other ways, as some locals contend, it is plain bullying

Dhruv Munjal
Do you see these bullet marks? I was driving that night.”

At first glance, Dinesh Arya seems an unremarkable man. Dressed in a white dhoti-kurta, the light moustache and stubble fail to hide the wrinkles that have begun to form on his face. Wrapped around his right wrist is a thick coil of red sacred thread, and he walks around with a swagger, often ordering others around him.

During the day, Arya performs the role of priest at Dayanand Math, a spiritual home located in the heart of Rohtak, Haryana. As dusk falls, the 34-year-old and his team of volunteers,