Two Muslim youth were badly beaten up by villagers in this Madhya Pradesh village on accusation of slaughtering a cow, leading to the death of one of them, police said on Sunday. Four accused have been arrested.

According to police, the incident happened in Amgaar village of the district on Friday morning when the village residents caught the two youth, identified as Siraj and Shakeel, with a quantity of meat. Suspecting it to be beef, they accused the duo of cow-slaughter.

A crowd soon gathered at the spot and the two youth were beaten up with sticks.

They were taken to the local district hospital where Siraj succumbed to his injuries while Shakeel was referred to Jabalpur for treatment, Badera police station Inspector Rajendra Pathak told IANS.

Pathak also said that it was yet to be ascertained which meat the two were actually carrying and samples would be sent to a Hyderabad lab for identification. Meanwhile, two sacks of meat have been seized.

He said four people have been taken into custody for the crime and further investigations were underway.

There was tension in the village following the incident and additional police force has been deployed there, said Pathak, adding the situation was now fully under control.