The video of Dalit men flogged by cattle vigilantes in Gujarat has turned attention once again on the violent, and divisive methods used by gau rakshaks or self-styled cow vigilantes across the country. They claim to be acting as defenders of the holy cow. On Truth vs Hype this week, we expose how that rhetoric is often a mask for extortion, bribe-taking and using vigilantism to support a thriving network of cattle shelters. We go undercover with a cattle truck, that is attacked by gau-rakshaks to find how their thuggery has the tacit support of the police.
