Hindu activists attacked with stones and swords while rescuing cows from smugglers in Moga, Punjab

Case ID : 30a9fd0 | Location : Moga, Punjab, India | Date of Incident : Wed, 19 August, 2026

Case ID : 30a9fd0

Moga, Punjab, India

19 August, 2026

Hindu activists attacked with stones and swords while rescuing cows from smugglers in Moga, Punjab

Undecided cases

Attacked/Killed for Hindu identity

Case Summary

In Moga, Punjab, Hindu activists associated with Shiv Sena were attacked while attempting to rescue cows that had been targeted for smuggling. The activists were pelted with stones and bricks and were also attacked with swords. The cows were found tied inside a 15-foot-deep underground tunnel constructed beneath a road near the Duneke canal and a local slum area. Hindu activists, including Shiv Sena leader Gagan Nahoria, reached the location after receiving information about the concealed cattle. They attempted to rescue the cows, following which residents of the nearby slum area attacked them. Gagan Nahoria was injured in the attack. The injured were taken to the Civil Hospital in Moga for treatment. A large police contingent subsequently reached the location and brought the situation under control. The attackers fled the scene, while police personnel remained deployed in the area as tensions continued. Shiv Sena leaders demanded that the administration search the huts in the area, rescue any cows found there and send them to a gaushala, or cow shelter. Members of a Nihang organisation were also present during the rescue operation. Nihang leader Baba Karamjit Singh sustained serious head injuries during the attack and was taken for medical treatment along with the other injured individuals. The incident occurred near land where concerns had previously been raised regarding encroachments close to Moga's Grain Market and the Duneke canal. The Civil Sewa Society and local residents had submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner of Moga, the Chairman of the Market Committee, Moga, and the Joint Commissioner, seeking the removal of the encroachments.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case is being added to the Undecided database because the available details do not specifically establish that the attack was motivated by religious hostility towards Hindus. The circumstances of the incident raised questions about a possible religious motive, but the available information did not provide sufficient evidence to conclusively establish the attack as a religiously motivated hate crime. In this case, Hindu activists were attacked by residents of a nearby slum area while attempting to rescue cows that had been targeted for smuggling. The fact that Hindu activists were attacked while engaged in cow protection raised the possibility that the attack may have had a religious dimension, given the profound religious significance of cows in Hinduism. The cow occupies a sacred and revered position in Hindu religious traditions and is associated with concepts of sustenance, non-violence and reverence for life. Cow's milk, curd, ghee and other products derived from the cow are also used in several Hindu rituals and religious practices. Ancient Hindu texts, including the Vedas, contain references to the cow as Aghnya, meaning that which should not be killed or harmed. Cow protection has therefore traditionally been regarded by Hindus as an important religious and moral duty, and the protection and care of cows hold considerable significance within Hindu religious and cultural life. The circumstances also raised suspicion because Hinduphobia Tracker had previously documented several cases in which Hindus were attacked while attempting to prevent cow slaughter or cow smuggling. In some of those cases, large groups of Muslim perpetrators mobilised against Hindu cow protection activists and subjected them to violent attacks. Those incidents contained additional circumstances and evidence that established a communal or religious dimension to the violence and were consequently documented as religiously motivated attacks. The existence of such cases made it necessary to examine whether a similar religious motive could have been involved in the present incident, particularly because the Hindu activists were attacked while attempting to rescue cows from smugglers. However, it is equally plausible that the attack was a crime of opportunity or an attempt by those involved to prevent the rescue of the concealed cows and protect the suspected smuggling operation. The available information did not indicate that the attackers had mobilised as a large communal mob, nor did it establish their religious identities or indicate that they belonged to another religious community. No communal or religious slurs directed at Hindus were mentioned in connection with the attack. In the absence of such evidence, it becomes difficult to establish that the violence was specifically driven by hostility towards the Hindu faith or Hindu religious identity. Hinduphobia Tracker follows strict and clearly defined parameters when documenting incidents in its hate crime database and requires sufficient evidence to establish that an offence was motivated by hostility towards Hindus on the basis of their religious identity. Mere suspicion of a religious motive, without supporting evidence or circumstances that establish such hostility, is not sufficient to categorise an incident as a religiously motivated hate crime. In the present case, although the circumstances raised questions about whether religious motivations may have played a role in the attack, the available information did not establish a clear and definitive religious motive behind the violence. Therefore, the case was not added to the hate crime database and was instead placed in the Undecided database of Hinduphobia Tracker for documentation and further assessment purposes only. If additional information emerges in the future that provides evidence of religious hostility or otherwise establishes that the attack was motivated by prejudice against Hindus or Hindu religious identity, the case will be reassessed and, if it meets the required parameters, added to the hate crime database. Disclaimer: Hinduphobia Tracker records incident dates based on the date on which the crime occurred rather than the date on which it was reported by the media. However, in the present case, the available media reports did not specify the exact date on which the incident occurred. Therefore, the date on which the incident was reported in the media, 20 August 2026, has been selected as the indicative incident date for documentation purposes only. There were two specifically identified victims in this case: Gagan Nahoria, who is Hindu, and Baba Karamjit Singh, who is Sikh. Although the incident involved multiple Hindu victims, the available information did not specify the total number of individuals who were targeted or injured. Since only two victims were identified by name, and Hinduphobia Tracker documents cases specifically involving Hindus as victims, the victim count has been recorded as one, referring only to Gagan Nahoria.