Two Muslim men, suspected of stealing cows, were lynched in Assam on Sunday.
Abu Halifa and Aiyazuddin Ali, both in their twenties, were allegedly beaten to death by a mob in Nagaon district of central Assam.
Nagaon Superintendent of Police Debaraj Upadhay toldThe Times of India, "They were allegedly trying to lift cows from a grazing field in the area when they were spotted by villagers and thrashed. After getting information, police rushed to the spot, rescued and took them to hospital where they succumbed to the injuries."
Halifa and Ali died at the Jajari primary health centre.
The villagers raised an alarm after the two men allegedly tried to steal two cows from the grazing ground in Kasomari village, The Indian Expressreported. The two men reportedly hailed from Naromari Jamtola, a village about two kilometers from Kasomari.
A case of murder has been registered against unknown persons, and the police is trying to gather evidence including video footage in order to ascertain the identity of the attackers.
There have been other instances of cow vigilantism in the Northeast. In November, Mohammad Hasmat Ali, the headmaster of a government school in Manipur, was beaten to death by a mob alleging that he had stolen a calf.
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