Cow protection budget by select states in India 2015-2018
Cow slaughter is forbidden in most parts of Hindu-majority India. However, since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, Hindu nationalists have led a political campaign to enforce a ban on cow slaughter and stop cattle smuggling. This has led to an increase in cow vigilantism (known as "gau-rakshak"). The government has also been accused of obfuscating data on cow smuggling in order to maintain a demand for continued cow vigilance.