Two Muslim men, identified as Ayub and Mausim, were thrashed cow vigilantes in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday for carrying meat.
The attack was live-streamed on Facebook by the Hindu nationalist group.
Recently Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath imposed a complete ban on the sale of liquor and meat in Mathura.
The driver of the vehicle, Bahadur, was spared in the complaint by the vigilante group, Gau Rakshak Dal, due to his Hindu identity. But police detained him along with the other two.
The 16-minute video streamed online shows, Hindu men kicking and abusing the Muslim men, who are pleading with the vigilante groups to stop thrashing them.
The group leader claimed they got a tip-off and followed the vehicle from Yamuna expressway and stopped them at Mahavir Colony. The assailants handed over the Muslim men to the police.
“Ayub runs a meat shop in Raya town and was transporting meat to his shop,” a Muslim leader told Times of India.
All three men are arrested for “defiling place of worship” and “cow slaughter”. The meat seized from the men is sent for testing.
Gau Rakshak Dal alleges the meat is beef, which is banned in UP.
Radicalised cow vigilante groups have been unleashing violent attacks against minorities in India since Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party won elections in 2014. Critics have decried the growing ban on meat to align with Hindutva principles.
According to Mathura police, the men are sent to judicial custody. The accused didn’t have transit permits or refrigerators, which are mandatory for transporting perishable goods.
