Muslim India Man Beaten To Death For Allegedly Killing Cow

A Muslim man accused of killing a cow was beaten to death by a mob in central India, police said Sunday , the latest vigilante murder over the animal considered sacred by Hindus.

Siraj Khan, a 45- year -old tailor , was attacked in the Satna district of Madhya Pradesh state early Friday and died at the scene, local police official Arvind Tiwari told AFP.

Kahn’ s friend Shakeel Maqbool , who was also attacked , was admitted to hospital with critical injuries .

As details of the violent assault emerged at the weekend 400 additional police were deployed to the district late Saturday as inquiries widened, the Press Trust of India reported .

“ We have arrested four people , and they have been sent to judicial custody. We are investigating what prompted the attack , ” Tiwari said .

He added that meat and a bull carcass was found at the scene , but did not elaborate as investigations were ongoing.

Hindus consider cows sacred and slaughtering the animals , or possessing or consuming beef, is banned in most Indian states .

Cow slaughter in Madhya Pradesh carries a maximum seven – year jail term but many other parts of India impose life sentences for infringements .

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’ s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP ) has promised to completely outlaw cow slaughter in India.

The right -wing Hindu BJP has been accused of turning a blind eye to a rising number of vigilante attacks in the name of cow protection .

Rights groups say Hindu mobs have been emboldened under the party, who stormed to power in 2014. Many of the victims are Muslims .

In two prominent cases last year, a dairy farmer was killed on a roadside for transporting cows and a Muslim teenager accused of carrying beef was stabbed to death on a crowded train .

AFP.