A Muslim man, among those brutally beaten up by alleged cow vigilantes in Alwar, succumbed to his injuries, the police said on Tuesday.
Alwar police arrested three persons in connection with the case.
Rajasthan Home Minister G C Katari today spoke to news agency ANI about alleged cow vigilantes beating up five men in Rajasthan's Alwar district for reportedly smuggling cows into the state.
Pehlu Khan, in his fifties, died late on Monday night in a hospital where he was admitted for treatment. Khan and others were injured when a mob attacked nearly 15 persons hailing from Haryana, while transporting cows in vehicles on the Behror highway in Alwar district on Saturday, the police said.
Following Khan's death, a case of murder was registered against six persons namely Om Yadav, Hukamchand Yadav, Naveen Sharma, Sudhir Yadav, Rahul Saini and Jagmal, while 200 other "unidentified" people were listed as accused.
Katari told ANI that the police have registered a case against people smuggling cows and also over death of the man. The minister also added that both parties are at fault and emphasised that smuggling of cows into the state is a criminal offence.
According to Rajasthan Bovine Animal Act of 1995, export of cows for slaughter is prohibited and the transporter is treated as an abettor.
"Three accused have been arrested tonight and the hunt for others is on," SHO Behror police station Ramesh Chand said.
Home Minister Kataria said it was "alright" that some people caught those who were illegally transporting animals, while maintaining that "no one has the right to take the law in their own hands".
Police will take appropriate action against those who took law in their own hands, Kataria said.
NGO People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) has demanded immediate arrest of those involved in the thrashing of Pehlu Khan leading to his death.
PUCL general secretary Kavita Srivastava also demanded the arrest of SHO Behror and removal of SP Alwar over the incident.
She claimed that Khan and others had documents of the purchase of animals from Jaipur which they produced before the police.
"Members of VHP, Bajrang Dal and Hindu Jagran Manch thrashed them near Behror in front of the police," she alleged, while demanding action against the police officials.
(With agency inputs)