KOKRAJHAR: One person was killed and four others were seriously injured when a mob attacked them on suspicion of cattle theft in Assam's Kokrajhar district, police said on Tuesday.
The victims, associated with a road construction project, were returning on Monday night after a site inspection in the Aoudang area in a vehicle.
As the vehicle reached the Gouri Nagarâ-Mashing Road stretch, a group of local villagers attempted to stop the vehicle, allegedly suspecting them to be cattle lifters, which led to an accident, and the vehicle skidded off the road.
The mob attacked the occupants and set the vehicle on fire, with the occupants receiving severe burn injuries, the police said.
They were rushed to the hospital, and one person, identified as Sikhna Jwhwlao Bismit alias Raja, succumbed to his injuries.
He was the son-in-law of contractor Moranda Basumatary, who is associated with an ongoing road construction project in the area.
Four others - Prabhat Brahma, Jubiraj Brahma, Sunil Murmu, and Mahesh Murmu - sustained serious injuries and were undergoing treatment at the Kokrajhar Medical College and Hospital.
According to doctors, the condition of Prabhat Brahma was critical.
Police, Fire and Emergency Services rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control, though tension continues to prevail in and around Kokrajhar.
The police detained a few people for questioning, and investigations into the incident have been launched, an official said.