A mob of "gau rakshaks" allegedly beat up two Dalits in East Godavari district after they skinned a cow which had died due to electrocution, police said yesterday.
The incident took place at Janakipeta in Amalapuram town of the district in Andhra Pradesh.
According to police, after the cow died following electrocution, its owner, a farmer, engaged the two Dalits, who were brothers, for skinning the animal before it was buried last night.
On getting to know of the skinning, the "gau rakshaks" (cow vigilantes) went to the place and beat up the duo, identified as Mokati Elisha and Lazer, suspecting that they had killed the animal.
The two were admitted to a hospital in Amalapuram for treatment and Elisha's condition was said to be serious.
"We have registered a case under SCs/STs (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against some persons, who are yet to be identified. We are investigating the case and gathering clues about the suspects," a police official said over phone from Amalapuram.
The incident has taken place when the flogging of a Dalit family at Una in Gujarat last month created a countrywide uproar over cow vigilantism.
Three days back, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his first public denouncement of cow vigilantes, had said that he felt enraged at such "anti-social elements", who indulged in crimes by the night and masqueraded as cow protectors by the day.
A day later in Telangana, Modi had asked people to beware of "fake" cow protectors as they were trying to create "tension and conflict" in the society and said that "if you have to attack, attack me" but stop attacking "my Dalit brethren".
Photos: A Last Look At Andaman's Only Swimming Elephant
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Open Image ModalANDAMAN ISLANDS, BAY OF BENGAL - UNSPECIFIED DATE ***EXCLUSIVE***:***STRICTLY NO INTERNET USE***Rajan the elephant walks out of the Bay Of Bengal. Gliding gracefully beneath crystal clear waters this Asian bull elephant cuts a memerising figure. Weighing a hefty 3.5 tons and standing at a whopping four metres tall, Rajan is the last swimming elephant of the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal. Dive tour operators and underwater photographers Jacqueline Russell and Jake Ziegler spent one week swimming and photographing the mammoth beast, capturing these stunning images. 'It was our first time in the Andaman Islands and to swim with Rajan was an incredible experience,' said Bristol-born Jacqueline. Aged 59, Rajan was originally taken to the islands for logging in the forests before it was banned in 2002. He has now become a tourist attraction on Havelock island and amazes visitors as he exercises in the ocean. Like most mammals, elephants are superb swimmers, able to go for long distances without tiring. Their huge bulk and colossal lungs give them excellent buoyancy. The handy addition of a natural snorkel - their long trunks - lets them swim with their mouths below the surface. Thanks to her meticulous planning, Jacqueline and Jake were able to spend three days submerged with the gentle giant in swimming. 'Rajan does not like to swim every day as he is getting on in years now, so we planned ahead of time to book Rajan for the whole week so he did not get tired or swim with anyone else,' revealed Jacqueline. 'But Rajan was amazing and he gladly obliged and swam with us on all three days. (Photo by Barcroft Media / Getty Images) (credit:Barcroft via Getty Images)
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