Indian police probe lynching of two Muslim men by cow vigilantes

Police in the northeastern Indian state of Assam have launched a major probe into the lynching of two Muslim men by a mob that accused them of trying to steal cows for slaughter.

The cow is considered sacred by India's majority Hindus, and killing of the animal is considered illegal in several states.

A senior police official said Friday that the incident took place Sunday in a remote village in Assam's Nagaon district and the victims have been identified as Abu Hanifa and Riyazuddin Ali, both aged between 20 and 25 years.

"They were brutally thrashed by local villagers. They died of their injuries in the hospital. We are investigating the deaths to ascertain the involvement of cow vigilantes. A murder case has been filed and two persons detained in connection with the deaths," he said on condition of anonymity.

The killings of the two Muslim men are the latest in a series of attacks blamed on hardline Hindu cow vigilantes in recent months. A Human Rights Watch report last week said at least 10 Muslims had been killed over the issue since May 2015.

A group of cow vigilantes had last month beaten to death a Muslim cattle trader in the western state of Rajasthan for allegedly transporting cows from state capital Jaipur to neighboring state of Haryana, adjoining the Indian capital.

The victim, Pehlu Khan, succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Rajasthan's Alwar town three days later, while the police have registered a case of murder against the unknown cow vigilantes and so far arrested five people in connection with the death.

Several Indian states have banned slaughter of cows after the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in 2014. The western state of Gujarat in March made cow slaughter punishable with life in jail recently.

In addition to government bans, several vigilante groups who portray themselves as protectors of cows have also been active in several states. These groups routinely check vehicles and often beat up cattle traders.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year came down heavily on such vigilantes, saying that such people made him "angry," but it has not stopped the attacks against cattle traders. Endit