The opening credits call it the “Untold story of cow saving”. The purportedly decade-old “vedio”, titled “Hindu Raj Karega” or “Hindus will rule”, shows raw celebration of violence in the name of cow protection.
Knives are sharpened. Guns are brandished dramatically. Swords are unsheathed. Faces are distorted menacingly as gym-toned muscle-men swagger out on their bikes and on foot to confront, challenge and kill in the name of cow.
All this to the continuous chant of “Hinduaan daa raj jadon aaugaa” – when the rule of Hindus shall arrive.
The video is a small capsule showing how a young boy is witness to cows being slaughtered. As the news spreads and the song repeats the chant about the impending onset of Hindu rule, a vigilante mob soon gathers at the slaughter-house.
Guns are pointed. And shot. Dead bodies are shown as the men menacingly sway and swagger.
The caption on the screen shows:
Dumb law and deaf human rights,
stopping cow-slaughter is the wish of Hindus.
Beware, o governments, you still have time
Don’t say later whether the sons of the cow killed a butcher or...
As the text trails off, the video shows the men posing heroically.
As the credits roll, there is a helpful hint that the video and audio can be downloaded from saffrontigers.com
It was on the basis of this video, which zipped around the internet, that Punjab Police lodged a First Information Report on August 8 against Satish Kumar, the head of the Gau Raksha Dal Punjab. Kumar himself claimed that the video was more than a decade old and the FIR against him was only because of media pressure – although it did come not long after Prime Minister Narendra Modi told states to ensure they crack down on "fake gau rakshaks."
In fact, the Times of India reported on Wednesday that the police have yet to arrest the three accused from the cow vigilante group, since they were unable to verify the contents of the video and don't otherwise have witnesses to the thrashing of the people on camera. Cattle traders have, however, come out against Kumar and his group alleging that they have over the years extorted money from many traders under the guise of cow protection.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!