A coalition of concerned advocates, researchers, and social activists has raised serious concerns over an uptick in cow vigilantism in Bengaluru ahead of Eid, urging authorities to take swift and decisive action to prevent further incidents and hold perpetrators accountable.
In a joint statement released on Saturday, prominent civil rights lawyer B.T. Venkatesh and activists Vinay Sreenivasa, Zia Nomani, and Dr. Sylvia Karpagam condemned a series of alleged cow vigilantism incidents in Bengaluru, naming Hindutva activist Puneeth Kerehalli as the primary perpetrator.
The statement details at least three alleged “raids” carried out by Kerehalli over the past three days in areas such as Tannery Road, Ahmednagar, and Shivajinagar. During these incidents, Kerehalli is accused of forcibly entering private properties, seizing cattle, and livestreaming the operations on Facebook, framing them as animal rescue missions.
Despite being briefly detained by the R.R. Nagar police, Kerehalli was released shortly after, raising concerns among activists about the lack of accountability and the potential for escalation in the days leading up to the Eid al-Adha festival.
This is not Kerehalli’s first run-in with the law. In 2023, he was arrested in connection with the death of a cattle transporter during a comparable incident of alleged vigilantism.
The activists have filed a formal complaint with Bengaluru City police, calling for preventive detention of individuals like Kerehalli under relevant provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) or the Goonda Act. They argue that these actions go beyond concerns for animal welfare and instead constitute criminal trespass, targeted harassment, and attempts to incite communal tensions.
Despite the gravity of the allegations and the communal sensitivities ahead of Eid, the group has criticized the Bengaluru police for what they describe as a lack of urgency in addressing the situation. “We physically submitted complaints to the offices of the DCPs in the West, East, and North divisions, but officials refused to accept them, citing Bakrid holidays and a shortage of staff to receive official mail (tapal),” the statement noted.
The activists added that they have also emailed the complaint to senior authorities, including the Bengaluru Police Commissioner, the ADGP (Law & Order), and the Karnataka Home Minister. As of now, they say, no official response has been received.
Meanwhile, in a contrasting development, Mangaluru City police have taken independent action against Puneeth Kerehalli. “They’ve registered a suo motu FIR based on inflammatory, communal remarks he made during a Facebook livestream,” said activist Zia Nomani. “In the video, he referred to Muslim-majority areas in Bengaluru as ‘Pakistan’ — a clear attempt to provoke communal hatred.”
The group reiterated its demand for swift and decisive action to curb vigilantism and safeguard communal harmony, especially during sensitive religious occasions like Eid.
