Uttar Pradesh police accused of targeting Muslims in cow-smuggling shootings

An investigation has revealed that police in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, have shot hundreds of suspects accused of cow smuggling in a manner that critics describe as extrajudicial punishment. Data compiled by the Center for the Study of Organized Hate shows nearly 650 cases since 2020 where suspects were shot and injured, with the vast majority of those involved being members of India’s Muslim minority.

The shootings often follow a specific pattern where suspects are shot in the legs, typically below the knee. While police characterize these encounters as acts of self-defense carried out under a “zero tolerance” crime policy, human rights lawyers, judges, and activists argue the practice serves to intimidate the Muslim population and undermines the rule of law.

Forensic experts have questioned the official police accounts, noting that the specific nature of the leg wounds suggests deliberate close-range shots rather than responses to fleeing suspects. The phenomenon, sometimes referred to locally as “Operation Lame,” is reportedly spreading to other Indian states.