“Gau Rakshak,” these two words created havoc in India in the last few years. Their existence is not new but the violence they unleashed at a scale was something unheard of. They have not suddenly emerged, but have been emboldened and supported by the new system. Still, there are many questions about their functioning, the pattern of violence, intelligence gathering and the local support system. I decided to explore more on this aspect and visited Western Uttar Pradesh and Haryana areas in April 2021, the worst affected areas by the movement. Earlier, I had met a few gau rakshaks in Maharashtra, and spoken to a few over the phone to understand the functioning.