A mob attacked the house of a Muslim man in Haryana’s Rohtak on Wednesday, on suspicion that he had slaughtered a cow on the occasion of Bakri Eid, the Hindustan Times reported. Yamin Khokhar, his family and a few other Muslims living in the neighbourhood fled the village, following which the mob also vandalised the namaaz ghar.

Khokhar’s friend Naseeruddin said that a rumour of cow slaughter spread after Khokhar hit a calf with a stick when she injured his daughter. “The calf walked a few steps and then died,” he told the daily. “But some anti-social elements spread the rumour that Muslims had killed it for Bakri Eid. Yamin and his family fled the village apprehending trouble.”

The mob attacked Khokhar’s house, and forcibly buried the calf’s carcass at the Muslim burial ground. They also announced that the community will now have build a cow shelter there.

Khokhar, his brother Yasin Khokhar and their neighbour Shokeen were arrested when they reached the police station. Rohtak Sadar Police Station House Office Manjeet Kumar said they were arrested based on a complaint by village sarpanch Suresh Kumar. Rohtak Superintendent of Police Jashandeep Singh Randhawa told The Hindu that the police had received no complaint from the victims.