India police nab 21 over anti-Muslim violence India

Indian police have detained nearly two dozen people following an incident in which a mob attacked Muslims

Indian police have detained nearly two dozen people following an incident in which a mob attacked Muslims whom the former accused of slaughtering a cow in India’s northern Uttar Pradesh State, local officials said.

 Chandrapal Singh, a senior administrative officer of Mainpuri district, said that police arrested at least 21 people from across the troubled region over the act of violence.

However, a post-mortem of the cow showed that it had died for a while as a result of some ailment, the official said.

Singh added that the men were only removing its skin when they came under attack by the furious mob, he added.

Indian media outlets said some 500 people armed with iron rods and bamboo sticks had set fire to dozens shops belonging to Muslims after the incident. At least two Muslim men were seriously wounded during the violence and are said to be in critical condition.

Local resident said that police fired tear gas in order to disperse the mob.