An elderly Muslim man was allegedly forced to prostrate before a cow and rub his nose on the ground by members of the Hindu nationalist Bajrang Dal in Madhya Pradesh, India, after he was accused of kicking the animal.
The incident reportedly occurred around September 6 in Jamner, Guna district. Footage emerged and circulated widely on social media on September 9. Jamner police station in-charge Manoj Mehra told the Free Press Journal that the incident took place four days before its September 10 report.
Indian media identified the man as Jameeluddin, a resident of Guna Cantonment who had travelled to Jamner to deliver goods. He was reportedly unloading a pickup vehicle when he allegedly tried to move a cow sitting in the road by kicking it. The incident was captured on CCTV.
Members of the Bajrang Dal and other residents subsequently confronted him. He was allegedly made to bow before the cow, rub his nose along the ground, prostrate himself and touch the animal’s feet as an apology.
Reports said some local families initially sheltered Jameeluddin as tensions escalated, before he was allegedly brought before the cow and subjected to the humiliation.
Police said neither side had filed a written complaint and that no legal action had been taken.
Jameeluddin, however, reportedly gave a different account of his interaction with police. He alleged that he was pressured to write on a blank sheet of paper that he did not want further action and that he had apologised voluntarily.
He said he planned to submit a written complaint to the district Superintendent of Police over the alleged humiliation.
The circumstances surrounding the initial confrontation and Jameeluddin’s subsequent treatment remain disputed.The incident comes amid longstanding concerns over vigilante punishment in disputes involving cows, which are considered sacred by many Hindus. Cow-related accusations have repeatedly been linked to attacks, intimidation and public humiliation targeting Muslims in India.
Bajrang Dal is the youth wing of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), a Hindu nationalist organisation associated with the wider Sangh Parivar network, which includes the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
