Sacred from Slaughter, Subject to Sale

The phrase “sacred from slaughter but subject to sale” summarizes a central contradiction in the Indian context. As in India, the cow is sacred in Hinduism yet remains deeply embedded in commercial use. In recent years, Muslims and Dalits have been subjected to public assaults and, in some cases, lynching over allegations related to meat consumption, cattle trade, or slaughter. Human rights reports estimate that approximately 40 individuals have been killed in mob violence linked to such accusations. This phenomenon, commonly referred to as cow vigilantism, involves self-styled groups of cow rakshaks who assume the authority to punish individuals, particularly Muslims and Dalits. For allegedly eating, trading, or slaughtering cows, which are regarded as sacred in Hindu religious belief.

Cow vigilantism intensified after 2014, following the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to power at the national level. At present, around 20 Indian states have officially banned or heavily restricted cow slaughter, shaping the legal and social environment in which such violence occurs. According to Human Rights Watch, these legal restrictions, combined with weak law enforcement, have contributed to a climate of impunity. A prominent example occurred in April 2017 in Alwar district, Rajasthan, where Pehlu Khan, a dairy farmer, was attacked by cow protection groups while transporting cattle and later died from his injuries. Despite naming his attackers before his death, several of the accused were subsequently acquitted, raising serious concerns about institutional bias, accountability, and the rule of law.

At the same time, India’s economic practices reveal a contrasting reality. In fiscal year 2024, India emerged as the world’s second-largest beef exporter, after Brazil, with exports valued at approximately US $3.9 billion. While cow slaughter is restricted or prohibited in many states and Muslim communities face constraints in performing animal sacrifice during Eid-ul-Adha, bovine meat, primarily buffalo meat, continues to be produced and sold on a large commercial scale. This paradox raises critical questions about the selective application of religious sentiment, economic priorities, and minority rights in a state that constitutionally identifies itself as secular.

Cow slaughter remains one of the most contested political and cultural issues in India. Although the cow is symbolically protected, bovines may still be slaughtered for export and industrial use under specific legal frameworks, underscoring persistent tensions between religious symbolism and market imperatives. In a landmark judgment on 26 October 2005, the Supreme Court of India upheld the constitutional validity of anti-cattle slaughter laws enacted by various state governments, affirming the authority of states to regulate or prohibit slaughter within their jurisdictions. Currently, 20 out of India’s 28 states have laws governing cattle slaughter, many of which prohibit the slaughter of cows and restrict the sale of beef. These laws vary significantly across states, reflecting India’s federal structure, as livestock preservation and veterinary regulation fall under the State List.

Furthermore, according to a 2016 review by the United States Department of Agriculture, India accounted for nearly 20 percent of global beef trade. On 26 May 2017, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change imposed a nationwide ban on the sale and purchase of cattle for slaughter at animal markets under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Rules. However, the Supreme Court suspended the implementation of this ban in July 2017, providing temporary relief to the beef and leather industries. In contrast, data from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the European Union show that per-capita beef consumption in India remains among the lowest globally, but largest exporter globally.

Against this backdrop, it is reasonable to critique the contradictions embedded in public policy and political rhetoric under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. Since 2014, cow protection has functioned both as a political symbol and a policy priority, with anti-slaughter laws enacted or tightened across numerous states. However, these measures have often failed to safeguard minority rights, instead contributing to an environment in which vigilante violence and discriminatory enforcement have proliferated, frequently accompanied by inadequate state response. This institutional uncertainty was reflected in the Supreme Court’s 2025 decision to decline entertaining a public interest litigation on cow vigilante violence, advising petitioners to seek redress through the High Courts.

Conclusively, India’s continued status as a major global exporter of buffalo meat and cow leather further underscores this contradiction. The same state that amplifies cow protection discourse within domestic politics also facilitates and benefits from multibillion-dollar exports of cattle-derived products internationally, an economic reality that sits uneasily with its cultural and moral rhetoric. These double standards sanctifying the cow in political discourse while enabling and profiting from cattle commerce in global markets reveals a political economy of selective cultural preservation. Such inconsistencies undermine India’s claims to secularism and equal citizenship. This illustrates how the instrumentalisation of religious symbols for political purposes can erode constitutional protections, disproportionately harm minority communities, and distort the rule of law.