21 held for violence, cow slaughter rumours in UP

Twenty one people were arrested on Saturday in Uttar Pradesh's Mainpuri area for spreading rumours about cow slaughter and indulging in violence, officials said.

Cases were also registered against 250 people for their role in the violence in which people pelted stones at the police, torched several vehicles and lay siege to an important road for several hours.

Two people were beaten up badly on Friday after people alleged they had slaughtered a cow. As police tried to stop the unruly mob and whisked the two away, people went on the rampage, setting vehicles on fire and attacking police.

The district administration said after a probe on Saturday that the charges of cow slaughter were found to be false. The cow was found dead in a field. The two accused - Lalla and Shafiq - were in fact skinning it. They hold a license for this job, district magistrate Chandrapal Singh informed.

Residents, however, alleged the cow belonged to Rakshvadra of Karhal and that it had gone missing since Friday morning. It was found in a field with the two accused and three of their accomplices by its side. The three have been missing since then.