A man died after having a high-pressure hose inserted into his rectum, in what his family believe was a hate crime.

Yakub Sheikh, 48, died last month when a colleague allegedly inserted the instrument which is used to clean cars, according to the Indian Express.

The incident happened at the Toyota Shinrai showroom in Cotton Green, a commercial and residential area in Mumbai, where Mr Sheikh, a Muslim, worked.

His colleague Santosh Aherkar has been arrested and charged with murder.

But while the state’s police and Toyota reportedly believe that the death was an accident, Mr Sheikh’s family do not agree that it was a mere prank.

At a press conference this week, the victim’s family said they believed Mr Sheikh and Mr Aherkar had argued about the practice of animal sacrifice.

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His brother said he believed Mr Aherkar allegedly told Mr Sheikh, "You had mutton, we will take out your mutton now".

"We just want justice, because we simply cannot believe this… is the work of just one man," his daughter added.

Local NGOs have formed a fact-finding committee to investigate the death.

Susan Abraham, of the Committee for Protection of Democratic Rights, alleged: "If Aherkar approached Yakub with a running pressure hose, the noise would have alerted Yakub.

"We suspect he was pinned down by some people while Aherkar inserted the pipe."