Cow Slaughter Laws and Violent Vigilantism in the States of India: A Quantitative Analysis

In India, cows are revered by many Hindus, though beliefs about their sanctity vary across communities. Despite this diversity, Hindu nationalist groups have advanced a singular view that treats cow protection as central to Hindu identity, prompting the widespread adoption of “cow slaughter laws” across Indian states. Today, the vast majority of Indian states either heavily restrict or outright prohibit cattle slaughter, and these protections have grown increasingly stringent over time. However, cows do not hold the same revered status among India’s minority communities, for whom beef consumption and cattle slaughter are often integral to cultural and dietary practices. In this paper, I argue that the increasing severity of cow slaughter laws fosters a climate of vigilantism, leading to heightened attacks on beef-consuming and beef-producing minorities. I empirically test this hypothesis—alongside alternative explanations—through a time-series, negative binomial analysis of Indian states from 2000 to 2020. The analysis reveals that states enforcing cow slaughter laws are statistically more likely to experience violent persecution of minorities than those without such laws. These findings carry important implications for understanding the current trajectory of violence and democracy in India.