the killing of a man who was transporting cattle, an officer said Friday.
Hindus regard the cow as a holy animal and this is the latest in a series of incidents
of cow protection activists attacking people transporting cattle in various parts of the country.
Praveen Poojary, 29, and his friend Akshay Devadiga, 22, were
attacked while they were transporting three cows in a van in the
Udipi district of Karnataka state late Wednesday, district police
chief KT Balakrishna said.
They were severely beaten with iron rods and Poojary died in
hospital.
Sixteen members of a local Hindu right-wing organization Jagaran
Vedike had been arrested on suspicion that they assaulted Poojary and
his friend, Balakrishna said by telephone.
The activists may have thought Poojary was taking the cows to the
slaughterhouse, NDTV news channel reported citing police sources.
Transporting cows is legal across India, but their slaughter in
prohibited in most states.
– DPA
