2 Muslim men killed by ‘cow vigilantes’ in India

NEW DELHI

Police in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan have detained six people for their alleged involvement in cow vigilantism and the death of two Muslim youths, a police official said on Friday.

According to the family members of the deceased, the two were abducted from Bharatpur in Rajasthan by the members of the right-wing Bajrang Dal.

Their skeletal remains were found inside a charred vehicle in Bhiwani city in the northern Haryana state on Thursday.

Mohammed Jabir, a cousin of killed men -- Nasir, 25, and Junaid, 35, who were residents of Ghatmeeka village -- told journalists that members of Bajrang Dal led by Monu Manesar abducted their brothers. “They were beaten up and then set on fire,” he alleged.

However, police said that one of the victims was involved in cow smuggling and they are investigating the matter.

A Bharatpur range police official, Gaurav Srivastava, in a statement, said that they have detained six people and are interrogating them.

“Those named are members of Bajrang Dal but whether they were involved in the crime or not is yet to be ascertained,” he said.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, while condemning the incident, said that the police have been instructed to take strict action in this matter.

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Assasuddin Owaisi, while speaking about the incident, said that Muslims across the country are being targeted in an organized manner.

"I condemn in the strongest words the killing of Junaid and Nasir by an organized gang in Haryana," he said and alleged that these gangs are supported by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

A First Information Report (FIR) was lodged against five people at Gopalgarh police station in Rajasthan, after a complaint by the family members of the deceased men.

The bodies of the two deceased men have been handed over to the family after post-mortem.

Cows are considered sacred in the Hindu religion and since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014 there has been a rise in attacks on Muslim cattle owners by Hindu nationalists.

Most Indian states have banned cow slaughter and have put in place stringent laws for slaughtering a cow.

India has witnessed many killings in the name of cow protection and they were allegedly organized by right-wing groups close to the ruling BJP.