'Cow Vigilantes' in India kill three on suspicion of cattle theft

PATNA: A mob in an Indian village lynched to death three men suspected of stealing cattle on Friday in a latest  "cow vigilante" assault, according to police.

At least three men, including a Muslim were lynched to death in a village in the eastern state of Bihar,  the latest in a spate of attacks that have provoked alarm among the country's religious minorities.

A fourth man was in critical condition in hospital after the attack, while police claimed to have  detained three for the brutal killings. 

According to reports, the victims  were driving a truck when they were stopped in Pithori Nandlal village by a crowd who accused them of stealing cows.

In recent years, Hindu mobs have lynched many people from marginalised groups, especially Muslims and Dalits (the least-privileged Hindu caste), often over suspicions of cow slaughter, as India's dominant religion considers cows sacred and killing them is taboo.