One person was killed and three others were injured when a mob attacked them for allegedly cutting flesh of a dead bull in Jharkhand’s Gumla district, police said on Thursday.

Tension prevailed in Jairagi and Jurmu villages following the incident, which took place on Wednesday.

Deputy inspector general Chotanagpur zone, Amol V Homkar, who visited the spot on Thursday, said a special investigation team headed by the district superintendent of police was constituted to probe the matter.

He said a group of people spotted four persons cutting flesh of a dead bull and started beating them up. One of them, Prakash Lakra (50), died, he said.

The three who suffered injuries — Belasiyus Tirkey (60), Janavarius Minj (45) and Peter Kerketta (50), all from Jurmu village — were admitted to Gumla Sadar Hospital.

Police and district administration officials reached the spot to diffuse the situation.

Superintendent of police Anjani Kumar Jha said that he could not provide complete details of the case as the matter was under investigation.

Requesting the residents of both villages to maintain peace and harmony, the SP said that the people involved in the incident would be identified and arrested.

Police have seized samples of meat from the crime spot, and the same would be sent for forensic examination, he added.

An officer from Dumri police station said that a mob from Jairagi village had attacked the four as they were chopping the dead bull. Someone had spread a rumour that the bull was killed by them, the officer added.

(With agency inputs)

First Published: Apr 12, 2019 08:06 IST