Four people have been arrested for assaulting two men – a madrasa teacher and a van driver – while they were on their way to dispose of the remains of animals sacrificed on the eve of Bakr-Eid on Wednesday night. Doctors attending to the victims at a government hospital said their condition was “critical but stable”. The incident took place in outer Delhi’s Kanjhawala area. They were later shifted to a private hospital in the area.

Vikramjit Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) for Outer Delhi, confirmed Thursday’s arrests to The Indian Express, and said the accused hail from Rani Khera and Rasoolpur. He said the police are trying to determine whether the men belong to a cow vigilante group.

The police were called by Qari Mohammad Lukman, the general secretary of the madrasa where the 25-year-old worked. Lukman said the accused were travelling in two vehicles when they saw the victims and a student who was traveling with them. He said, "The people in the car were carrying rods and sticks. They pulled started beating the three of them."

Lukman was alerted by the student who managed to escape. According to Lukman, the student was spared because he was not wearing a skull cap and he did not have a long beard – both traditionally associated with Muslims. He suspects that a few men living near the madrasa were behind the attack. He said they had tried to create trouble earlier as well. “I have given their names to the police,” he said.