Muslim judge in India faces death threats after convicting ‘cow vigilantes’
An Indian judge, Tabassum Khan, has become the target of online abuse and death threats after sentencing 14 men to life imprisonment for the 2022 lynching of a Muslim man accused of cattle smuggling. Khan, the additional district and sessions judge in Madhya Pradesh, delivered her verdict on 12 June, finding the men guilty of murder, attempted murder, rioting and wrongful restraint. The case matters because the backlash has targeted Khan's Muslim faith rather than her legal reasoning, prompting senior judicial bodies to defend her and police to grant her protection.
The victim, 50-year-old Nazir Ahmad, was intercepted at night by self-styled "gau rakshaks" (cow protectors) armed with sticks and rods; he was dragged from his vehicle, assaulted and later died of his injuries, while two companions survived. In the wake of the verdict, Hindu right-wing influencers circulated videos featuring communal slurs, rape threats and death threats, with one man warning of "bloodshed" unless the men were freed within 10 days. Protests followed, including one on 22 June in Punjab where an effigy of Khan was burnt, and another on 25 June in Uttar Pradesh demanding the men's release; former Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju said the campaign sought to "delegitimise" Khan by reducing her identity to her religion.
In short
- Muslim judge threatened after jailing 14 men for a lynching.
- Abuse targets her faith, not her legal reasoning.
- She has been granted police protection amid protests.
Explained simply
In 2022, a 50-year-old Muslim man named Nazir Ahmad was attacked by self-styled cow protectors whilst travelling in a vehicle in India. These vigilantes, sometimes called "gau rakshaks", claim to protect cows, which are sacred in Hinduism. Ahmad was dragged from his vehicle and beaten, dying from his injuries, whilst two travelling companions also suffered attacks but survived.
In June 2026, judge Tabassum Khan convicted 14 of the men responsible for Ahmad's death, sentencing them to life imprisonment on charges of murder, attempted murder and rioting. Khan is a Muslim woman serving as an additional district and sessions judge in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. She delivered her verdict after a trial in which evidence from both sides was heard.
Since the verdict, Khan has faced severe online abuse and death threats, with much of the harassment focusing on her Muslim faith rather than questioning her legal reasoning. Senior judicial authorities publicly defended her, and police have provided her with protection. The case reflects broader tensions in India concerning cow protection activism and raises questions about judicial independence when judges face religiously motivated threats.