Two Muslim men killed over 'cow theft' in India

By Shuriah Niazi

NEW DELHI (AA) - Indian police have said two men chased and beaten after allegedly taking cows for slaughter in the northeastern state of Assam on Sunday evening have died.

Local media reports say the two men -- identified as Abu Hanifa and Riazuddin Ali, two Muslims -- were set upon by a mob in a village called Kasomori in the Nagaon district of the state, some 140 kilometers (87 miles) from Assam’s capital Guwahati.

Cows are considered sacred by the majority Hindu population in India; cow slaughter is illegal in many states.

Officers said the men were chased by locals and beaten badly. The injured pair were taken to hospital, but died on the way.

Police are treating the case as murder.

Earlier this month, a mob attacked a group of Muslim traders who were on their way to Haryana state after buying cows from Jaipur fair in Rajasthan state.

The traders were beaten badly even after they produced documents to show they were transporting the cows for milk.

One of the men, Pehlu Khan, died in hospital. Immediately after the attack, local police registered a case of cow smuggling against Muslim traders. However, those who attacked them did not face action.