By TCO News Desk**
Sonipat, Haryana – January 18, 2026
A routine cattle transport turned into a near-fatal nightmare on a Haryana highway when self-styled cow vigilantes allegedly hurled a spiked plank—reminiscent of police tire-deflation strips—onto the road, causing a truck's tires to burst and the vehicle to somersault into a roadside ditch. The incident, captured in harrowing social media videos circulating widely since January 15, has unleashed a torrent of condemnation, with activists branding it "open terrorism" and "murder by proxy" in the name of gau raksha, or cow protection. As the state grapples with a surge in such extrajudicial acts, critics accuse authorities of turning a blind eye, allowing vigilantes to enforce laws with lethal impunity.
The drama unfolded around midday on January 15 along the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway near Sonipat, approximately 45 kilometers north of Delhi. Eyewitness footage shows a white truck barreling down the busy arterial route when a group of men on motorcycles, waving saffron flags emblazoned with cow symbols, suddenly deploys the makeshift spike strip—a wooden plank studded with large iron nails—directly in the truck's path. The tires explode in a shower of rubber and sparks, sending the 20-tonne vehicle into a violent skid. It veers off the asphalt, flips twice, and crashes into a shallow embankment, scattering cargo across the median. Miraculously, the driver and his helper escaped with minor injuries—scrapes and bruises—but not before being set upon by the mob.
In the chaotic aftermath, the vigilantes, claiming affiliation with the Gau Raksha Dal, a loose network of cow protection outfits, dragged the dazed occupants from the wreckage. Videos depict the men being punched, kicked, and verbally abused with slurs like "smuggler" and "cow killer," before being bound and handed over to arriving police. "This is not protection; this is predation," fumed one bystander in a clip shared on X, as the group paraded the truck's contents—dozens of calves bound for a local dairy farm, not slaughter—before dispersing. Local police, arriving 20 minutes later, registered an FIR under sections for rash driving and animal cruelty but have yet to name or arrest any vigilantes, citing "ongoing inquiries."
Haryana's highways have become a flashpoint for such confrontations, fueled by the state's stringent 2015 Cow Protection Act, which bans cow slaughter and imposes life imprisonment for violations. While intended to safeguard the animal revered by many Hindus, the law has emboldened fringe groups to act as extrajudicial enforcers, often targeting Muslim and Dalit truckers perceived as "smugglers." Sonipat, a BJP stronghold, has seen a spike in incidents: Just last July, similar tactics by vigilantes caused another truck crash here, injuring three. Activists report over a dozen such "spike attacks" in Haryana alone this January, with one viral post claiming 85 fatalities statewide—though official figures hover around five, underscoring the chaos.
Social media erupted in outrage, amplifying the user's viral query: "What kind of terror is this in the name of cow protection?" X user @x_Aliwayzz01 decried it as "monsters throwing tire-puncturing spikes under moving trucks... launching deadly attacks on drivers," warning of "horrific accidents" endangering entire convoys. @1vinci6le echoed, "Haryana Cow Rakshas tried to stop a truck by using spikes... This could have been more fatal. Who gave them the right?" Even pro-vigilante voices, like @TeamHinduUnited, defended similar actions elsewhere as "brave," but faced backlash for glorifying highway blockades that snarl traffic and risk lives.
Human rights groups paint a grimmer picture. "These aren't isolated pranks; they're systematic assaults disguised as piety," says Dr. Apoorvanand, a Delhi University professor and critic of vigilantism. "Haryana's government, under BJP rule, has failed to prosecute even 10% of such cases, sending a message: Act with impunity." Data from Hindutva Watch, a monitoring NGO, logs 28 vigilante attacks in Haryana since 2023, with Muslims comprising 70% of victims—often beaten, extorted, or worse. The Supreme Court, in a 2018 directive, urged states to curb "cow terror," yet enforcement lags, with police often complicit or tardy.
As the Sonipat videos rack up millions of views—hashtagged #StopCowTerror and #HaryanaHighwayMurder—the pressure mounts. Opposition leaders like Congress's Bhupinder Singh Hooda, former Haryana CM, slammed the Nayab Saini government: "Vigilantes are state-sanctioned now. Where's the law when spikes fly and trucks tumble?" The Haryana Police, in a terse statement, vowed "swift action," but as of Sunday evening, no arrests. For truckers like the unnamed driver—now nursing wounds and a shattered livelihood—the wait feels eternal.
In a nation where cows symbolize sanctity, this twisted vigilantism risks desecrating far more than roads: the rule of law itself. Until spikes are traded for summons, Haryana's highways remain a tinderbox, where protection veers perilously close to persecution.
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