When Bahadur Shah Zafar Banned Cow Slaughter For Hindu-Muslim Unity

Last Updated:May 26, 2026, 19:31 IST

Bahadur Shah Zafar famously proclaimed that the real celebration would happen only when the foreign oppressors were defeated

Did you know Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar had banned cow slaughter amid the Revolt of 1857?

Why? To preserve Hindu-Muslim unity.

All you need to know about the historic decision:

THE DECISION TO PRESERVE HINDU-MUSLIM UNITY

The decree: According to various reports, British authorities and their agents in Delhi had planned to instigate communal riots. They aimed to pay individuals to slaughter cows openly on Eid (August 2, 1857), hoping the resulting Hindu-Muslim violence would break the rebellion from within. Realising the threat, Bahadur Shah Zafar issued a general decree in Persian on July 29, 1857.

The Emperor ordered the Kotwal (Police Chief) of Delhi, Sayyid Mubarak Shah, to register all cows owned by Muslims and temporarily confiscate them, housing them safely in the central police station (Kotwali) so that no stray slaughter could occur.

Execution and enforcement: Following Zafar’s decree, the Commander-in-Chief of the rebel Indian forces, Bakht Khan, proclaimed that anyone caught sacrificing a cow would face court-martial or immediate execution.

Recognising the severe shortage of space to hold all the cattle, Zafar went a step further and asked the citizens to completely halt animal sacrifices on that Eid. He famously proclaimed that the real celebration would happen only when the foreign oppressors were defeated.

Due to these strict measures, the festival passed without a single incident of communal friction, frustrating British military observers who were actively waiting for the rebel alliance to fracture.

Broader tradition: While the 1857 decree was the most urgent, historical accounts note that Zafar had already maintained a general prohibition on cow slaughter in the urban areas of Delhi during the preceding years of his nominal reign to honour the syncretic traditions of his ancestors like Akbar.

Following his example, other rebel governments established across northern India during the uprising — such as Khan Bahadur Khan’s administration in Rohilkhand — similarly banned cow slaughter to respect Hindu sentiments and keep the joint resistance alive.

WHO WAS BAHADUR SHAH ZAFAR?

Bahadur Shah Zafar, also known as Bahadur Shah II, was the twentieth and last Mughal Emperor of India, ruling from 1837 until 1857. Born on October 24, 1775, he succeeded his father, Akbar Shah II, at the advanced age of 62. Rather than an aggressive political leader, Zafar was a notable Urdu poet, calligrapher, and Sufi practitioner whose reign marked the tragic, definitive end of the 300-year-old Mughal Dynasty.

By the time Zafar took the throne, the once-mighty Mughal Empire had shrunk completely. His actual rule extended only to the walled city of Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad). The British East India Company held real political and military governance over India. Zafar was reduced to a titular head living on a pension provided by the British.

His role in the 1857 Rebellion

Despite his lack of real power, Zafar became a central historical figure during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 (the Sepoy Mutiny). Rebel sepoys marched to Delhi and declared the 81-year-old Zafar the “Emperor of India" to give their uprising legitimacy. Though old and without resources, he agreed to back the rebels, uniting both Hindu and Muslim factions against colonial rule. The British army fiercely recaptured Delhi in September 1857, effectively crushing the rebellion.

Trial, exile and death

Following the collapse of the uprising, Zafar was captured by British forces at Humayun’s Tomb. British officer William Hodson executed Zafar’s sons and a grandson near Delhi’s Delhi Gate, a spot known today as Khooni Darwaza (Bloody Gate). The British tried him for treason, aiding the mutiny, and claiming sovereignty. He was stripped of his titles and exiled to Rangoon (now Yangon), Burma (now Myanmar). Zafar died in captivity on November 7, 1862, at the age of 87. He was buried in an unmarked grave to prevent his resting place from becoming a rally point for nationalists.

Literary and cultural legacy

Zafar is celebrated today as a highly talented Urdu poet. His court hosted historic literary figures like Mirza Ghalib and Mohammad Ibrahim Zauq. Writing under his pen name “Zafar" (meaning Victory), his later poetry poignantly lamented the loss of his homeland and the tragic demise of his empire.

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