Man beaten to death in India's Rajasthan over alleged 'cow smuggling'

Another man thrashed in attack under treatment; Police claim arrest of some suspects

A man was beaten to death in India's Rajasthan state by a mob over an allegation that he was involved in the trafficking of cows.

The incident occurred in Chittorgarh city, where the vehicle carrying the two men was stopped by a large mob over suspicion of 'cow smuggling'.

Both of them were pulled out from the vehicle and assaulted. One of them, identified as Babu Lal Bhil, a resident of Madhya Pradesh, died at the hospital while the other is under treatment.

Police are reported to have detained some people suspected to be involved in the attack.

According to Inspector-General Udaipur Range Satyavir Singh, "Around midnight the police station in-charge was informed that a gang was beating some people carrying cows in their vehicle. Our officers reached the spot, where we found out [that] people from the nearby Raiti village and surrounding areas were attacking two men - Babu and Pintu," said.

"They (the attackers) had snatched away the men's documents and mobile phones. When the police arrived, they ran away... our officers rescued both [the] men and took them to a hospital, where Babu lost his life. Pintu is now in [a] stable condition," he added.

Read ‘Indian govt systematically targeting Muslim community’

The IG said that the cops later visited the scene of the attack to conduct further investigations.

"We have visited the place and are now going through the incident properly. No accused person will be spared. We have detained few people as well," he said.

Earlier this month, a group of cow vigilantes lynched a Muslim man to death and injured four others in India’s Uttar Pradesh's state, Indian media reported.

Many Indian states ban the eating and slaughter of beef. Attacks on individuals suspected of trading in cows have increased however since Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, according to rights groups.

In 2019, a US State Department report said religious violence against minorities had increased under Modi. It said Muslims and low-cast Dalits had been particularly targeted for eating beef. India rejected the report.