New Delhi: A man was allegedly lynched by a group of people in Alwar district of Rajasthan on the suspicion that he was smuggling cows, said a police official today.

Akbar Khan, 28, and another man were taking two cows to their village in Haryana through a forest area near Lalawandi in Alwar district last night, when a group of people severely thrashed Khan, said Ramgarh police station SHO Subhash Sharma.

The people suspected Khan of smuggling cows, said Sharma.

The other man accompanying Khan managed to escape.

Khan was rushed to a government hospital in Ramgarh, where doctors declared that he was brought dead. The body has been kept at a mortuary and the postmortem is expected to be conducted after Khan’s family members reach the hospital.

A case has been registered against unidentified people under IPC Section 302, said the police officer. Two people have also been arrested, ANI reported.

The cows were sent to cowshed. 2 suspects were taken to police station from the spot & were later arrested after we found their involvement. Investigation is being done to find other culprits. Postmortem of the body is being done: IG Jaipur range on Alwar lynching #Rajasthan pic.twitter.com/MH9KVUipcG — ANI (@ANI) July 21, 2018

Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje tweeted about the attack. BJP leaders have been criticised in the past on their silence on such violence, particularly against Muslims and Dalits.

The incident of alleged lynching of a person transporting bovines in Alwar district is condemnable. Strictest possible action shall be taken against the perpetrators. — Vasundhara Raje (@VasundharaBJP) July 21, 2018

In a statement, the People’s Union for Civil Liberties has claimed that basis for the lynching was not “cow smuggling” but “extortion”.

“It is well known that extortionists under the garb of gaurakshaks are roaming the streets looking for a prey. If those carrying cows are able to pay the sum demanded, then they are allowed to go or else fired at and killed. This time too this has been the case, as reported by activists from the ground level.”

The civil rights group has asked that the government of Rajasthan act immediately and ensure that the perpetrators do not enjoy the support of the state and police.

The incident comes a little more than a year after Pehlu Khan, a dairy farmer, was lynched by cow vigilantes in the district while he was transporting cattle to his village in Haryana.

Pehlu Khan died at a hospital two days after the incident on April 3 last year.

Over the past year, several such attacks have happened in Alwar, where cow vigilante groups have targeted people transporting cattle.

Umar Khan, 35, was found dead near the railway tracks in the district in November. His family members have alleged that he was killed by cow vigilantes.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court had described the cases of lynching by cow vigilantes as a crime and not merely a law and order problem. It put the onus to check such incidents on the state, saying that no one can take law into their hands.

In September last year, the apex court had directed all state governments to appoint a senior police officer as a nodal officer in each district to ensure that incidents of cow vigilantism are prevented and dealt with effectively.

(With PTI inputs)