Muslim beaten to death in India for killing cow

NEW DELHI: A Muslim man accused of killing a cow was beaten to death by a mob in central India, police said on 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 on Friday and died at the scene, local police official Arvind Tiwari told AFP. Khan’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.