In the name of the cow: What motivates gau rakshaks?

In some ways, cow vigilantism is a sorry reflection of state administrative failures

Dhruv Munjal 

Do you see these bullet marks? I was driving that night.” At first glance, Dinesh Arya seems an unremarkable man. Dressed in a white dhoti-kurta, the light moustache and stubble fail to hide the wrinkles that have begun to form on his face. Wrapped around his right wrist is a thick coil of red sacred thread, and he walks around with a swagger, often ordering others around him. During the day, Arya performs the role of priest at Dayanand Math, a spiritual home located in the heart of Rohtak, Haryana. As dusk falls, the 34-year-old and his team of volunteers, mostly ...

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In the name of the cow: What motivates gau rakshaks?

In some ways, cow vigilantism is a sorry reflection of state administrative failures

In some ways, cow vigilantism is a sorry reflection of state administrative failures Do you see these bullet marks? I was driving that night.” At first glance, Dinesh Arya seems an unremarkable man. Dressed in a white dhoti-kurta, the light moustache and stubble fail to hide the wrinkles that have begun to form on his face. Wrapped around his right wrist is a thick coil of red sacred thread, and he walks around with a swagger, often ordering others around him. During the day, Arya performs the role of priest at Dayanand Math, a spiritual home located in the heart of Rohtak, Haryana. As dusk falls, the 34-year-old and his team of volunteers, mostly ... image
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