Dalit man transporting cattle forced to eat cow dung by ‘cow vigilantes’ in Maharashtra; no arrest made yet

Six ‘cow vigilantes’, suspected to be Bajrang Dal members, have been booked for allegedly assaulting a Dalit man and forcing him to eat cow dung after accusing him of attempting to sell a bull he had bought in Jalna district of Maharashtra. The man said the vigilantes also threatened to humiliate his 11-year-old son, who was travelling with him.

While the incident took place in May 2026, the victim lodged the FIR on Thursday (August 28, 2026) when a video of the purported assault went viral online, officials said.

A case was registered at Taluka police station under Sections 126(2) (wrongful restraint), 115(2) (voluntarily causing physical hurt to another person), and 189(2) (unlawful assembly) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) besides provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The six accused have been identified as Venkatesh Bhagat, Arjun Singh, Shivraj Picchade, Somesh Patil, Yash Sarkate, and Ritesh Deshmukh, said police inspector Santosh Sable.

Parameshwar Suhas Hiwale, the complainant who works as a truck driver, told police that he was returning to Jalna with his 11-year-old son and acquaintance Narayan Maroti Kamble, who had hired his services to purchase a bull at the weekly cattle market at Deulgaon Raja town.

Used casteist abuses

A group claiming to be Bajrang Dal members and ‘cow protectors’ allegedly followed them on bikes and waylaid his enclosed pick-up trick in Kanhaiyanagar area of Jalna. One of the accused caught the victim’s shirt collar and asked him what was in the truck, to which Mr. Hiwale said that they had a bull that was legally purchased by Mr. Kamble and even showed the documents for proof. However, they did not listen to him and slapped him. When Mr. Hiwale responded to their queries about his name and caste, they allegedly hurled casteist slurs at him.

One of the accused then brought some cow dung from the back of the truck and handed it to his accomplice who forced it into the victim’s mouth. They even tried to force it upon his son, but Mr. Hiwale apparently prevented him from doing so. The entire incident was recorded on a mobile phone and the accused threatened to leave Mr. Hiwale and his minor son naked on the road. They beat up and slapped Mr. Kamble as well, while also damaging the vehicle in the process.

Threatened to murder

The accused threatened to kill the victim and his family if he informed the police about the incident and accused Mr. Hiwale of planning to sell the bull to a Muslim butcher.

None of the six accused has been arrested so far, and an investigation is ongoing.

​Read more: Inglorious retreat: On the Supreme Court and cow vigilantism

According to Mr. Hiwale’s complaint, the police arrived at the spot where a crowd had gathered on May 23 and all three victims were taken to a local police station in Jalna. According to Jalna Deputy Superintendent of Police Anant Kulkarni, Mr. Hiwale was allegedly found transporting three cows and two other cattle in closed trailers attached to the pick-up trick. Police seized the vehicle along with the animals and registered a complaint under relevant provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. That probe is also still under way, police said.