Sonu Hindu, a notorious cow vigilante operating across Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan, has led a series of violent attacks under the banner of the Gau Raksha Dal. 

A close associate of Monu Manesar, he has been at the forefront of brutal assaults on truck drivers and cattle transporters, using accusations of cow smuggling as justification for his violence. His operations span multiple states, and his group acts with impunity, often with police complicity.

On March 1, 2024, in Gurugram, Sonu Hindu and his men detained a truck driver, accusing him of cow smuggling. Weeks later, on March 10, he was among eight cow vigilantes arrested in Jhajjar, Haryana, for assaulting truck drivers and seizing their vehicles. Their arrest was short-lived; they were released and welcomed with garlands and drum beats—a clear indication of the support and protection these vigilantes enjoy. On March 24, in Palwal, his group attacked five men transporting cattle, handing them over to the police after roughing them up.

His violence escalated further in April. On April 26, in Hodal, Palwal, he led a high-speed chase of a truck allegedly transporting cattle, causing a dangerous accident. 

The pattern continued across state borders. On August 21, in Alwar, Rajasthan, Sonu Hindu, alongside Shalinder Phalwal, another associate of Monu Manesar, brutally thrashed a truck driver. Then, on November 26, in Mathura, his gang seized a truck, attacked the driver, and falsely claimed they were fired upon by the driver’s accomplice—an all-too-common justification used by vigilantes to frame their violence as self-defense.

Despite repeated incidents of assault, intimidation, and illegal detentions, Sonu Hindu remains free, emboldened by the lack of legal consequences. His attacks have become part of a larger surge in cow vigilantism that disproportionately targets marginalized communities, with law enforcement frequently turning a blind eye or actively cooperating. From Haryana to Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, his reign of terror continues unchecked.