Number of cow related hate crimes reported in India 2010-2018

2017 saw the highest cow related hate crimes in India with 28 cases being reported by the media. Hate crimes are crimes are committed against a person not because of what a person might have done, but because of their real or perceived membership of a particular group such as religion, caste or ethnicity. Cow slaughter is forbidden in most parts of Hindu-majority India. However, since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, Hindu nationalists have led a political campaign to enforce a ban on cow slaughter and stop cattle smuggling. This has led to an increase in cow vigilantism (known as "gau-rakshak"). The government has also been accused of obfuscating data on hate crimes by the self declared "gau rakhsaks" in order to maintain a demand for continued cow protection vigilance.