Moon Desk: An elderly Muslim man was forced to wear a garland made of shoes and slippers by a mob in India’s eastern state of Bihar after being accused, without publicly available evidence, of transporting beef, in the latest case of anti-Muslim vigilantism linked to the country’s politically charged cow protection movement.
Videos circulating on social media show the man surrounded by a crowd in Pratapganj, a town in Bihar’s Supaul district near the border with Nepal. The footage appears to show members of the crowd humiliating him in public by placing a garland of shoes and slippers around his neck, a symbolic act of degradation in South Asia.
According to accounts shared online, the incident took place on July 3 after locals accused the man of carrying beef. No evidence has been released publicly to support the allegation, and authorities had not confirmed the claim.
The Bihar Police had not issued an official statement on the incident at the time of reporting. It also remained unclear whether officers had registered a criminal case, or made any arrests.
The incident triggered widespread condemnation online, with many users questioning how an unverified accusation could lead to public humiliation in another example of mob justice targeting Muslims.
Several users urged police to investigate the incident and prosecute those responsible if the allegations in the videos are verified. Others expressed concern that self-styled cow protection groups and local mobs increasingly act outside the law while minorities bear the consequences.
Rights groups have documented numerous cases in which Muslims have been assaulted or lynched by Hndu extremists over accusations related to cattle, often before any police investigation establishes the facts.
Analysts say such attacks have increased in visibility during the rule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government, with activists accusing authorities in several cases of failing to act swiftly against perpetrators or prevent vigilante violence.