A Muslim man has been beaten to death by an angry mob of villagers in India for allegedly killing a bovine – an act considered a crime and punishable by imprisonment under local laws.
The gruesome incident took place in Amgara village in the “Heart of India” – central Madhya Pradesh state – on Thursday night, local media report.
The villagers allegedly noticed two men, later identified in reports as Riyaz Khan and Shakeel Maqbool, with the animal near a quarry.
Conflicting reports say it was either a cow or a bull, but the killing of either is considered a criminal offence under state laws.
Both men were brutally lynched by the villagers, with 45-year-old Riyaz later succumbing to his injuries.
India has recently seen a rise in so-called ‘cow vigilantes,’ who attack farmers and violently prevent cattle from being slaughtered.
In summer 2017, a Muslim teen was allegedly stabbed to death for carrying beef. »