One man was killed by a mob in Jharkhand’s Khunti district on Sunday after villagers saw him and his two companions allegedly carving out meat from an animal carcass, The Indian Express reported. The two other men were taken to hospital with injuries.

Residents in Jaltanda Suari village accused the three men of slaughtering a cow after they were seen with the carcass. The villagers beat the men until police reached the spot and took them to hospital, Deputy Inspector General (Chhotanagpur Range) Homkar Amol Venukant told the newspaper. One of them, Kalantus Barla, sustained grievous injuries and died before reaching hospital, he said.

The other two men, Philip Horo and Faagu Kacchap, are in a stable condition, the police official said. The sequence of events is not clear and police are investigating the matter, according to Venukant.

Venukant told The Telegraph that seven people had been detained for questioning and a first information report would be filed. “Preliminary investigation suggests the three men were selling prohibited meat,” he said. “They were caught by the mob and thrashed. Additional police forces have been deployed.”

Multiple incidents of mob lynching following suspicion of cow slaughter have been reported in Jharkhand in the recent years. Most recently, in June, a 24-year Muslim man, Tabrez Ansari, was beaten by a mob in Seraikela Kharsawan district, following which he died in the hospital.

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