Indian police said Saturday a Muslim man has been beaten to death by a mob in the country’s west over allegations of smuggling cows despite calls by the country's highest court for immediate steps to stop such deadly violence.
Police said the mob intercepted two men carrying two cows around midnight in a forested area in Alwar district of Rajasthan state and began punching and beating them with sticks.
One managed to escape while the other was taken to a hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
"The incident of alleged lynching of a person transporting bovines in Alwar district is condemnable," Rajasthan's chief minister Vasundhara Raje tweeted after the incident.
"Police have registered a case and are questioning two suspects. Strictest possible action shall be taken against the perpetrators," she added.
The latest attack comes days after India's top court asked the government to enact a new law to stem "horrendous acts" of lynchings across the country.
Cows are considered sacred in the Hindu-majority country, where attacks on minority groups, especially Muslims, are rising.
