A report released on Tuesday by the Center for the Study of Organized Hate has highlighted how Instagram is being used to fuel cow vigilantism in India. The Washington DC-based think tank claims that the platform has failed to remove violent content posted by cow vigilantes and that these groups are using Instagram to raise funds for their activities.
The report, titled Streaming Violence: How Instagram Fuels Cow Vigilantism in India, examines the rise in mob lynchings of Muslims under the guise of "cow protection" since the BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, came to power in 2014.
It points to the platform’s large, predominantly young and male user base as an effective recruitment and fundraising tool for these violent groups.
The study analysed 1,023 Instagram accounts that were found to be spreading hate and violence. Of these, 30% shared videos depicting cow vigilantes carrying out violent acts against people transporting cattle. Many of the targeted individuals were identified as Muslims, based on their responses when asked for their names on camera during the incidents.
The report also found that a significant majority of the accounts – 95% – were based in BJP-ruled states, with Haryana identified as the leading state with 320 accounts involved. It also analysed 121 Instagram reels, or short videos, which showed cow vigilantes engaging in violent actions.
These videos garnered 8.3 million plays, with some receiving over 100,000 views each. Reels featuring violent content, including truck chases and physical assaults, received significantly more views than other types of content posted by the same accounts.
In addition to sharing violent videos, many vigilante accounts were also using Instagram to solicit donations. Despite numerous reports of explicit violence in posts, Instagram did not remove any of the content, which the think tank claims constitutes a 100% inaction rate.
The report has called for action from Meta, Instagram's parent company, urging it to designate cow vigilante groups as Tier-1 dangerous organisations under its Dangerous Organizations and Individuals policy.
This classification would limit their ability to recruit, influence, and fundraise on the platform. The report also recommended that videos depicting violent chases be classified as vandalism to prevent them from being shared and that the “Send Gift” feature be disabled for these accounts to curb their fundraising activities.