RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday condemned violence by cow protection groups, saying it "defames" the cause but made it clear that the Hindutva organisation wants a law banning cow slaughter across India.

Calling cow slaughter a "vice" that must be removed, he pitched for stepping-up of cow protection efforts by bringing in more people in the drive while "completely obeying the law and the Constitution".

His remarks at an event to observe the birth anniversary of Lord Mahavir came against the backdrop of the lynching of a Muslim man by cow vigilantes in Alwar in BJP-ruled Rajasthan that sparked protests from opposition parties and put the saffron party on the defensive.