India's Hindu cow mobs rule as religious debate rages

A cow can be seen inside a truck as vigilante group Gau Raksha Dal (Cow Protection Squad) inspect trucks on a highway in Taranagar in the desert state of Rajasthan.

Taranagar (India) (AFP) - As a truck screeches to a halt on an Indian highway in the middle of the night, devout young Hindus armed with sticks scramble inside, searching for cows they consider sacred.

Almost every night, the vigilantes lie in wait for suspected cattle smugglers in the desert state of Rajasthan, ready to fight to protect the animals, a revered symbol of India's majority Hindu religion.