Satish Pradhan, the National President of Gau Raksha Dal, has built a militant Hindutva persona around cow protection and weaponised calls for religious defense. On May 19, 2025, addressing a gathering in Farmagudi, South Goa, he openly endorsed the use of weapons to “protect the country, religion and cows.” Speaking before the crowd, he declared, “The day we decide to abandon peace, all non-believers will be driven out of this country… we are people of the cow, and we carry a stick in our hand”, reinforcing the violent posturing that has come to define cow vigilante groups in India.

Under his leadership, Gau Raksha Dal has taken a central role in organized hate campaigns, especially in northern India. In 2023 alone, the group, primarily through its Haryana wing, held at least 13 hate speech events, often promoting communal hostility in the name of cow protection. Pradhan’s push for Hindu unity has long been tied to a demand for a nationwide ban on cow slaughter.

Back in November 2015, during a Hindu unification meet in Faridabad, he claimed the government was failing to protect cows and declared that it was the duty of Hindus to unite and take that charge themselves. He blamed the media for portraying cow vigilantes as hooligans, while ignoring those who slaughter cows, feeding into a narrative of victimhood and righteous aggression.