Mathura ‘accident’ kills Farsa Baba: False narratives and provocations persist despite police clarification

by Oishani Bhattacharya

In the early hours of March 21, Chandrashekhar Das — also known as Farsa Baba, a self-styled gau rakshak —was killed after being run over by a truck on the Agra–Delhi highway in Mathura. He had reportedly intercepted a container on suspicion of cattle smuggling, but the vehicle was found to be carrying grocery items. Moments later, he was struck by another truck.

In a statement issued on March 21, Mathura Police clarified that Das’s death was an accident, adding that the truck driver’s visibility was impaired due to dense fog at around 4 am. They stressed that reports circulating on social media linking the incident to cow slaughter or cattle smuggling were “entirely misleading and false.” An accident case was registered at the Kosikalan police station based on a complaint, and police urged the public not to spread rumours, warning of strict legal action against those sharing misleading information.

Chandrashekhar Das, popularly known as ‘Farsa Wale Baba’ or ‘Farsa Baba’ in Hindutva circles, earned his moniker from carrying a farsa — an axe-like weapon — during what he described as “gau raksha” missions. His group was known to collaborate with the Mathura police to intercept vehicles suspected of transporting cattle and to “rescue” animals. He also operated a cow shelter in Ajanokh village in Chhata block of Mathura district in Uttar Pradesh.

Little personal information about Das is available on his public social media profiles. However, posts on his Instagram account show him carrying a farsa and stopping vehicles along with his associates—many of whom appear significantly younger—while inspecting them. In some videos, members of his group can also be seen carrying swords.

Photos shared on ‘team_farsa_wale_baba’ Instagram page

Outrage Led by Daksh Chaudhary

The incident triggered outrage among sections of Hindutva activists. On the same day, Hindu Raksha Dal’s Daksh Chaudhary called on gau rakshaks in Mathura and Vrindavan to gather at Chhata — where Farsa Baba ran a cow shed —to protest. He also demanded that the “jihadi” driver be killed in an encounter, threatening that if the state failed to act, he and his associates would.

As vigilante groups assembled in the area following this call, the situation quickly turned violent. Mathura SSP Shlok Kumar said protesters blocked the national highway in Chhata and resorted to stone pelting, injuring several police personnel and damaging police vehicles. According to The Indian Express, police arrested 13 individuals from the spot, including Daksh Chaudhary, on charges of spreading rumours, obstructing police during law-and-order duty, and engaging in violence.

Videos circulating on social media show Chaudhary arguing with police officers who were preventing him from reaching the protest site. Footage shared by Maktoob from March 21 captures protesters pelting stones at police and their vehicles. In other videos (here, here and here), demonstrators could be heard demanding that Baba’s alleged “killer” be shot in the head. Protesters also vandalised the truck involved in the accident.

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A video circulating on social media also shows a police officer injured during the violence, his face bleeding and uniform soaked in blood.

Following the clashes, Mathura district magistrate Chandra Prakash Singh addressed the situation, saying the protesters had raised several demands and concerns, including who would take responsibility for the cow shelter run by Farsa Baba. Singh said the administration would take full responsibility for its upkeep. He also noted that some gau rakshaks had demanded arms licences for their safety, adding that the administration would “take that into consideration.”

The district magistrate further said that 10 people had been taken into custody after the stone pelting and that there were demands for their release. “We will consider that after the investigation. Please stay assured that no innocent will go to jail,” he added.

Provocations Continue: ‘Do or Die Battle’, ‘Hang the Accused’, ‘Encounter Jihadis’

However, the police clarification did little to assuage Hindutva hardliners, many of whom persisted in giving the incident a misleading communal spin. Despite clear indications that there was no cattle smuggling angle and that the death was accidental, several activists continued to peddle false narratives.

On March 21, Daksh Chaudhary posted a reel showing a speeding black car with a ‘Jai Sri Ram’ sticker, alongside an image of himself with Farsa Baba superimposed on the clip. The video carried the text: “Now the fight will be a do or die battle, either it will result in martyrdom or victory.”

The same day, he also shared a video statement, saying, “This morning, we received the bad news of Farsa Baba’s passing. He had been the backbone of the entire gau rakshak community, be it in Mathura or Vrindavan. I am so heartbroken at his death. He had devoted his entire life to saving cows. How long will the government watch gau rakshaks like him die because of cow smugglers? But gau mata could not become rashtra mata, even though the government claims to be of the Hindus… I urge all gau rakshaks of Mathura and Vrindavan to assemble in Chhata, where Maharaj had his gaushala. No one can stop us today. We demand the encounter of the m******d jihadis. Either the government has to do it, or else we will do it.”

 

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A post shared by Daksh Chaudhary (@muchoman.306)

The following day, another video was shared from Daksh Chaudhary’s page, though he did not appear in it. Instead, Hindutva activist Yudhisthir Rana featured in the clip, claiming that Chaudhary and several others had been detained by the police.

On March 22, Mathura Police said that five individuals were arrested by the Barsana police team for blocking traffic near a cowshed in Ajanokh village, disrupting movement, pelting stones, and issuing death threats to police personnel and the public. The police statement named Daksh Chaudhary among those arrested, along with four of his associates.

In a video posted on March 22, Dhirendra Shastri or Bageshwar Baba was heard saying, “He was a huge gau bhakt. He would not care what time of day it was; he would fight with cow smugglers on the front foot. Last night, he was killed… My appeal to the government and to the people is that the ones who killed him must be hanged…”

Suresh Chavhanke, chief editor of Right-wing propaganda outlet Sudarshan News, attended a ‘Gau Tech 2026’ event, where he delivered a speech on March 22. In his speech, he stated, “Like you, the government should also be providing protection to gau rakshaks. If Farsa Baba had protection, then he couldn’t have been killed this easily. Today, in India, all kinds of Hindutva activists are being attacked everywhere, especially gau rakshaks…”

Mathura Police responded to this with a statement from senior superintendent of police (SSP) Shlok Kumar who reiterated that Farsa Baba’s death was an accident, and the driver of the truck that ran over him also died.

Despite clear statements from the police and repeated rebuttals of misinformation, efforts are ongoing on social media and among sections of Hindutva flagbearers to communalise the incident. False claims linking the death to cattle smuggling or cow slaughter continue to circulate, accompanied by calls for retributive violence. Such narratives, pushed in defiance of official findings, risk further inflaming tensions and undermining law and order.

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