Beef, Violence, and Billions in Donations: The BJP’s Controversial Ties to India’s Meat Industry

Two days ago, on January 9, a disturbing incident was reported from Dharavi, Mumbai, one that echoes similar cases that have emerged from different parts of the country in recent years. The allegation involved the transportation of cow meat, and the individuals targeted were three Muslim youths.

According to media reports, the youths were stopped by members of Hindutva groups, verbally abused, and physically assaulted. Their vehicle was also damaged. During the incident, slogans such as “Jai Shri Ram,” “Har Har Mahadev,” and “Jai Bajrangi” were reportedly chanted. Videos of the incident quickly spread across social media platforms.

Police have registered a case against five ‘hindutva goons’ associated with Bajrang Dal in connection with the incident. However, a case has also been filed against the three victims. During initial questioning, the victims told both the police and the media that they were transporting buffalo meat from the Deonar slaughterhouse to Dharavi, indicating that the vehicle was carrying buffalo meat rather than cow meat.

This is not an isolated incident —arguably, that is what makes it particularly concerning.

In October 2025, a meat transporter was attacked in Ramnagar, Uttarakhand, on suspicion of smuggling cow meat. It was later reported that the meat was buffalo. Police stated that documents found in the vehicle supported this, indicating that it was buffalo meat rather than cow meat.

Looking back further, the 2015 Dadri incident remains widely remembered. A man named Akhlaq was accused of slaughtering a cow and storing its meat at home. Three days after Eid, a mob entered his house and killed him over this allegation. However, an investigation conducted three months later reportedly found that the meat in question was goat (mutton), not beef. Six years later, another report reached a different conclusion, adding further uncertainty to the case.

Similarly, on July 31, 2020, a man named Luqman Khan was reportedly beaten for nearly three hours by a group of self-styled “cow vigilantes” in Gurugram, Haryana. He was eventually rescued at a cremation site, where the mob was allegedly preparing to set him on fire. Police later sent a sample of the meat involved for forensic analysis, which found that it did not come from a cow or its offspring. The attack left Luqman Khan paralyzed.

On March 7, 2023, a man named Naseem Qureshi from Siwan was beaten to death in Saran district, Bihar, on suspicion of carrying cow meat. In this case, police told the media that no cow meat was found in his possession.

In a similar incident on August 27, 2024, Sabir Malik, a Muslim waste picker from West Bengal, was killed by a group of self-styled “cow vigilantes” in the Badhra area of Charkhi Dadri, Haryana. The attackers alleged that he was cooking and consuming beef in his settlement. However, an investigation report released two months later found that the meat was not from a cow or any other cattle.

These cases are part of a broader pattern: an initial allegation, a violent response, and later findings that often contradict the original claims.

At the same time, India is one of the world’s leading exporters of beef, with millions of metric tons shipped abroad each year. This creates a complex backdrop to domestic debates around cattle and meat consumption.

There have also been reports that companies involved in the meat export industry have made political donations, including to parties associated with Hindutva ideology. Such contributions have been documented both before and after these parties came to power. Critics argue that this reflects a contradiction between political messaging around beef and the acceptance of funding linked to the meat export sector.

Abstaining from beef, not from donations

Regardless of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) political stance on beef, and despite the opposition of some of its members to practices like the annual animal sacrifice during Eid al-Adha, the party has reportedly accepted donations from companies in the beef export industry. Reports indicate that these contributions have amounted to crores of rupees, highlighting a contrast between political messaging and financial support.

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s Form 24-A donation information submitted to the Election Commission on December 8, 2025, revealed that the BJP received a donation of ₹30 crore (approximately $300 million) from a major meat exporting company in 2024-25. All this information is available on the Election Commission’s website.

According to the list of donors submitted by the BJP to the Election Commission, Frigorifico Allana Private Limited, a Maharashtra-based beef exporting company registered in 1986, donated ₹7.50 crore (approximately $75 million) in 2024-25. The company paid this amount through two checks (HDFC Bank, check numbers 1622 and 1631).

In addition, another company under the Allana Group, Allanasons Private Limited, reportedly donated ₹11.5 crore to the BJP through two checks issued by HDFC Bank (check numbers 2393 and 2396). Frigerio Conserva Allana Limited contributed ₹7.5 crore via HDFC Bank check number 482.

Another company, Indagro Foods Private Limited, made a donation of ₹3.5 crore to the BJP from the same Mumbai address. Indagro Foods Limited, which also exports beef, issued this contribution via HDFC Bank check number 537.

It is also worth noting that earlier in 2023–24, Frigerio Conserva Allana Private Limited had donated an additional ₹2 crore to the BJP.

Donations via Electoral Bonds

Not only this, when the electoral bond information was made public on a court order, I was the first to report via Twitter that the electoral bond data revealed 5 crores of donations from two beef exporting companies.

Frigorifico Allana Pvt Ltd then donated ₹2 crore on July 9, 2019. On the same day, Allanasons Pvt Ltd also donated ₹2 crore. Subsequently, Allanasons Pvt Ltd donated another ₹1 crore on October 9, 2019. I vividly remember that it was only after my tweet that some media websites in the country ran this news as breaking news.

This revelation first emerged in 2015

It’s worth noting that I was the first to reveal this information about donations from beef exporting companies to the world through BBC Hindi in 2015. This information caused quite a stir. The BJP then clarified that it was unaware of this donation.

Interestingly, the party continued to receive contributions from the same company in subsequent years.

In fact, you’ll be surprised to know that when I followed up on this story again in 2020, the name of another beef exporting company was added to the list of donors. This name belonged to Maria Frozen Agro Foods, a company based in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, which exports beef and other animal meat. In 2018-19, it donated ₹5 lakh via check (State Bank of India, check number 050965). It’s worth noting that this company was registered in Kanpur in February 2016.

You can see the complete list of donations here: