*NEW DELHI: A Muslim man accused of killing a cow was beaten to death by amob in central India, police said on Sunday, the latest vigilante murderover the animal considered sacred by Hindus.*

Siraj Khan, a 45-year-old tailor, was attacked in the Satna district ofMadhya Pradesh state early Friday and died at the scene, said local policeofficial Arvind Tiwari.

Kahn’s friend Shakeel Maqbool, who was also attacked, was admitted tohospital with critical injuries.

As details of the violent assault emerged at the weekend 400 additionalpolice were deployed to the district late Saturday as inquiries widened,the Press Trust of India reported.

“We have arrested four people, and they have been sent to judicial custody.We are investigating what prompted the attack,” Tiwari said.

He added that meat and a bull carcass was found at the scene, but did notelaborate as investigations were ongoing.

Hindus consider cows sacred and slaughtering the animals, or possessing orconsuming beef, is banned in most Indian states.

Cow slaughter in Madhya Pradesh carries a maximum seven-year jail term butmany other parts of India impose life sentences for infringements.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) haspromised to completely outlaw cow slaughter in India.

The right-wing Hindu BJP has been accused of turning a blind eye to arising number of vigilante attacks in the name of cow protection.

Rights groups say Hindu mobs have been emboldened under the party, whostormed to power in 2014. Many of the victims are Muslims.

In two prominent cases last year, a dairy farmer was killed on a roadsidefor transporting cows and a Muslim teenager accused of carrying beef wasstabbed to death on a crowded train.