Catholic priest removed from Fenton church following sexual harassment allegation | WEYI

A Catholic priest accused of sexual harassment has been removed from a Fenton church by the Catholic Diocese of Lansing.

According to the diocese, Rev. Mathew Joseph was removed from his position as parochial vicar for St. John the Evangelist Parish in Fenton due to several complaints against him.

One of those complaints included what the diocese called a “credible allegation of sexual harassment of an adult female.”

Joseph is a priest with the Missionary Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament in Kerala, India.

Following the complaints, he was sent back to his order in India.

Catholic priest removed from Fenton church following sexual harassment allegation | WEYI

Indian Bishop Franco Mulakkal arrested for alleged rape of nun | Global Sisters Report

Bishop Franco Mulakkal of Jalandhar was arrested by Kerala police Friday, accused of raping a nun multiple times between 2014 and 2016. He is the first Catholic bishop to be arrested in a sexual abuse case against a nun in India.

The 5 p.m. arrest occurred after 15 hours of police questioning spanning three days at a high-tech interrogation cell in Thrippunithura, a suburb of Kochi, the commercial hub of Kerala.

The case emerged on June 28 when a member of the Missionaries of Jesus, a diocesan congregation under the Jalandhar Diocese, accused the prelate of subjecting her to rape and unnatural sex on 13 occasions over a two-year period at her convent in Kuravilangad, south of Kochi.

During the police interrogation, Mulakkal denied the charges, calling them "concocted." He said the nun was upset with him for advising the congregation's leaders to act on a married woman's complaint that the nun had had an affair with her husband.

Indian Bishop Franco Mulakkal arrested for alleged rape of nun | Global Sisters Report

Bihar: Buddhist monk held for alleged sexual abuse of 15 boys | The Indian Express

A Buddhist monk on Thursday was taken into custody at the international pilgrim town Bodh Gaya near Gaya district for alleged sexual abuse of 15 children from Assam who were studying at a school-cum-meditation centre run by him, police said.
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The monk ran an institution called “Prasanna Jyoti Buddhist School and Meditation Centre” at Mastipur village in Bodh Gaya where the 15 children – all hailing from Karbi Anglong district in Assam – were studying.

Bihar: Buddhist monk held for alleged sexual abuse of 15 boys | The Indian Express

Nun at charity founded by Mother Teresa arrested, accused of trafficking babies | Fox News

A nun and one other employee serving at a Missionaries of Charity center in India founded by Mother Teresa has been arrested and accused of child trafficking.

Acting on a series of complaints, the Indian Child Welfare Committee (CWC) affirmed that they are in the process of investigating the sale of a newborn baby boy from the Nirmal Hriday (Pure Hearts) home to a couple in Uttar Pradesh for 120,000 rupees – around $1,700. The baby was reported to have been born at the charity on March 19 and sold through the black market to a couple on May 14.

The nun at the center of the scandal, publicly identified only as Concilia, was detained on July 4 and the following day was placed under judicial custody by the court. Another employee from the center, set up by the late Mother Teresa -- who was canonized as St. Teresa in 2016 -- was also arrested in connection to alleged trafficking cases.

Nun at charity founded by Mother Teresa arrested, accused of trafficking babies | Fox News

Tonawanda priest sent back to India after thefts discovered - The Buffalo News

The parochial vicar of St. Christopher Roman Catholic Church in the Town of Tonawanda has been sent back to his home country of India after being caught endorsing checks meant for the church's outreach program, the church's pastor told parishioners at Masses on Sunday.

The Rev. Steve Jekielek announced to the congregation that the Rev. Suresh Yamarthy had been sent back to India to "face the consequences of his actions."

It was the second such incident at the church, following a much larger theft by the church's former secretary and business manager that was discovered in 2006.

Yamarthy had been assigned to St. Christopher for three years starting in June 2016. His last homily on the church's website was given Oct. 29.

Tonawanda priest sent back to India after thefts discovered - The Buffalo News

Butler's Web: Krishna, Politics, and QNET's International Pyramid Scheme

While I am a bit hesitant to use the "cult" label, IGG does have many of the earmarks for such.  A disturbing piece considering Gabbard's rise in political power, the possible involvement of what could be considered an international crime syndicate, as well as foreign interests.

Butler's "MO was to recruit influential locals who could run for office,” Wehrheim said.

Though the IGG party didn’t formally last, the Butler group’s heavy involvement in Hawai‘i’s politics did. Elected officials who have been Butler devotees include former Hawai‘i State Sen. Rick Reed, former Maui County Councilman Wayne Nishiki, current Hawai‘i State Sen. Mike Gabbard, former Hawai‘i State Board of Education member Carol Gabbard, and current U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawai‘i, daughter of Mike and Carol).

Rep. Gabbard celebrated Butler (now Jagad Guru Siddhaswarupanda Paramahamsa) as her “guru dev” in a video presentation for a 2015 ISKCON anniversary event. She has been recognized as the first Hindu U.S. Congressmember, and she co-chairs the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans. Rep. Gabbard identifies as a Vaishnava Hindu, Karma yogi, and Bhakti yogi.

On the financial front, a key part of the Butler group’s business network - rooted in the Down to Earth vegetarian grocery chain and Hong Kong-based QNET’s alleged international pyramid scheme – is currently being scrutinized in the Supreme Court of India.

 Butler's Web: Krishna, Politics, and QNET's International Pyramid Scheme

Forget Charles Manson: why Indian gurus are a cult above the West | This Week In Asia | South China Morning Post

MORE THAN 250 people were injured and 38 died when violence broke out in parts of North India a week ago after a court found a popular guru called Gurmeet Ram Rahim guilty of rape. The guru’s followers ran amok, the local administration failed to control the violence (which had been widely predicted) and three days later, when Ram Rahim was sentenced to 20 years in prison, the verdict was not delivered in any court.

Instead, the judge and his entourage flew to Rohtak jail to announce the sentence. It was considered too dangerous to have any more proceedings in a courtroom because the threat of violence from Ram Rahim’s supporters was so great.

Why should a convicted rapist who claims to be a guru command such fanatical loyalty from his followers that they are willing to run riot in his name?
,,,
There are few other countries where cult leaders command the same kind of influence as India’s gurus. Some of this can be attributed to the global cult phenomenon. But it also has its roots in the Indian tradition of the guru-shishya relationship. Unlike many religions, Hinduism has no clergy, no Vatican-like centre and no pope figure. Instead, the religion requires its followers only to look inward to find peace.

Forget Charles Manson: why Indian gurus are a cult above the West | This Week In Asia | South China Morning Post

See also:  India's gurus or conmen?

India’s ‘guru of bling’ is convicted of raping two followers. After the verdict, deadly violence breaks out. - The Washington Post

In times of trial a child’s place is near the father, they believe. So they went, thousands of obedient sons and daughters marching the roads of India together.

All week, followers of the Dera Sacha Sauda religious sect converged on the city of Panchkula, where a court found Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh guilty Friday of raping two followers, according to news reports. Police put the town on a security lockdown, the Associated Press reported.

In the wake of the ruling, authorities in both Haryana and the neighboring state of Punjab, also on high alert, battled against outbreaks of unrest against police and the news media by followers of the headline-grabbing Singh, known as the “guru of bling.”

At least 28 people were killed and 250 injured in the widening clashes, authorities said, according to the AP.

India’s ‘guru of bling’ is convicted of raping two followers. After the verdict, deadly violence breaks out. - The Washington Post

Braid-chopping: More cases crop up in city

Thirty-six-year old Dinesh Kumar’s hair were chopped off mysteriously at his house in the Dakoha area. According to him, he felt some uneasiness and later got unconsciousness. When he regained consciousness, he found a portion of his hair lying on floor. 

In another incident, a woman’s braid was chopped off at her house. The victim said she was lying on her bed and suddenly felt as if someone was pulling her hair. When she informed about this to her husband sitting nearby, he saw her chopped off hair lying on the floor. 

Sources, meanwhile, wondered whether it was an act of an evil spirit. But why only middle-aged and illiterate women are becoming the sole target of the “mysterious” braid cutter? Though some cases of children and men too were reported in various parts of the country, the number is almost negligible.

Braid-chopping: More cases crop up in city

Violent ideology, bizarre demands: Secretive world of the Mathura cult | india-news | Hindustan Times

Currently in India there is a kerrfuffle surrounding this Mathura cult.  While I do not understand all the minutaie I do find the "cult or personality" surrounding it interesting.

In April 2014, Ram Vriksha Yadav, a small, greying man in dhoti-and-kurta, took over a park in Mathura with around 500 armed followers for a two-day protest.

But members of the Swadhin Bharat Vidhik Satyagrah – and its armed wing Subhash Sena – never left, occupying the public space to turn it into what appeared to be the headquarters of a self-styled revolutionary group. The local people called them Naxalites.

Little was known about the group until Thursday when police clashed with thousands of its followers, trying to clear out some 3,000 squatters on court orders. The violence left 24 people dead, including the Mathura superintendent of police.


As police piece together information on the group, what emerges is a picture of a rag-tag organisation coalesced around a cult of independence hero Subhash Chandra Bose with a warped view of the world.

With ‘Jai Hind, Jai Subhash’ as their motto, Yadav appears to have forged a militant outfit that sought to indoctrinate and give arms training to local teenagers, seeking to replace the present-day political system with their own vision of a Bose-inspired world.

Violent ideology, bizarre demands: Secretive world of the Mathura cult | india-news | Hindustan Times

“They would be given written permits for going outside and they expected that the followers were only allowed outside if someone from outside came in. They would only be allowed to leave for 1-2 days and would be let inside quietly.”

Police had clashed with about 3,000 followers of obscure sect Azad Bharat Vidhik Vaicharik Kranti Satyagrahi which had encroached on 260 acres government land. Twenty-four people, including a superintendent of police and a station house officer, were killed in the violence which took place when police went to evict the sect from the land.

Mathura cult had its own jail, army and tough laws

See also::

Who was Ram Vriksh Yadav? Uncovering the mastermind behind Mathura clashes

Baba Jai Gurudev, the godman whose followers are behind the Mathura riots

UPDATED::Dead Indian guru Ashutosh Maharaj in freezer for ‘deep meditation’ | News.com.au

UPDATE::  So what if he’s in deep freeze? Guru Ashutosh Maharaj still commands a following

In January, 2014, when Ashutosh Maharaj was declared “clinically dead” by doctors, following a suspected heart attack, he was believed to be in his seventies. Immediately after four doctors (three of them sect followers and one from Ludhiana’s Apollo Hospital) declared him dead, the dera authorities claimed Ashutosh Maharaj wasn’t actually dead but had gone into a samadhi (a deep meditative state). In order to replicate Himalayan temperatures – the traditional destination of gurus and yogis seeking a quiet samadhi spot – a cooling system was installed in Ashutosh Maharaj’s chambers at the Nurmahal dera to keep the temperature near freezing. And thus, the frozen guru and his legend was born.

You can’t avoid the story if you visit the dera. As devotees approach, a public announcement system relates anecdotes which remind and re-emphasise that Ashutosh Maharaj will be back. When we made our visit, we heard a disembodied female voice tell us that she had been one of the people that Ashutosh Maharaj had confided in and he’d told her that one day, he may have to leave his flock. “Fir woh bole, jab main wapas aaunga to tehelka mach jayega. Ye unke mukh ke shabd the,” she said, her voice ringing with certainty. (“Then he said that when I come back, there will be a sensation. These were his words.”)

To an outsider unaware of the cult of Ashutosh Maharaj, such proclamations sound incredulous and illogical. But for believers, the resurrection of Ashutosh Maharaj is not only plausible, it’s also imminent. And so they flock to the dera, feeding off each other’s belief, anchoring themselves in their community and soaking in the messages that dera authorities broadcast. Once you’re in the dera, there’s no absurdity in the idea of keeping a dead body in near-zero temperatures.

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Devotees placed Ashutosh Maharaj, whom authorities declared clinically dead on January 29, in the freezer and have been watching over his body in the sprawling ashram in a small town in northern Punjab state.

Maharaj, reportedly in his 70s, is one of India’s many gurus or god-men who headed the Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan (Divine Light Awakening Mission) and claims to have millions of followers around the world.

Mission spokesman Swami Vishalanand insisted their leader was not dead but was in fact in a state of samadhi, the highest level of meditation, and was therefore still conscious.

Dead Indian guru Ashutosh Maharaj in freezer for ‘deep meditation’ | News.com.au

Infamous Hindu guru Asaram Bapu’s shady financial dealings worth billions finally uncovered - Daily Pakistan Global

It is not just the US that has issues with fringe religious sects,,,

The Income Tax department of India has recommended cancellation of the tax breaks given to charitable trusts controlled by self-styled Hindu ‘godman’ Asaram Bapu.

According to The Indian Express, the recommendation of the IT department comes on the basis of a probe which revealed that the trusts had been concealing an annual income worth Rs 2,300 crore since 2008-09.

Sources revealed that the tax department has also unearthed numerous “benami investments” allegedly linked to Asaram and his followers, amounting to several crores.

An appraisal report prepared by the investigation wing of the IT department has also found that Asaram allegedly ran an illegal lending scheme through his followers. Under the scheme, ordinary people were offered cash loans at a monthly interest rate of 1-2 per cent.

Infamous Hindu guru Asaram Bapu’s shady financial dealings worth billions finally uncovered - Daily Pakistan Global

The Resistance Against Female Genital Mutilation in India is Growing | The Wire

On June 9, Judge Johnson of the Supreme Court of New South Wales in Australia passed a landmark judgment. Shabbir Vaziri, a senior Bohra priest, was sentenced to 11 months in jail for promoting, perpetuating and enforcing the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) in the community. This was the first case in history in which Bohras, including a mother and a nurse, were prosecuted for conducting FGM on two small girls. The four-year-long trial concluded with the sentencing verdict, at which jail time was handed out to the priest, while a much more lenient sentence of home detention was enforced on the mother of the two girls and the 80-year-old nurse who performed the procedure. Clearly, the judge differentiated between the mother and nurse, who were forced to perpetuate the practice and the priest – a representative of the clergy – who actively enforced the continuation of FGM in the community.

Just over a month before the verdict, on April 15, the community’s religious head, the Syedna Muffadal, spoke about a subject that had never before been spoken about openly. In a public sermon in Mumbai, he said:
“It must be done. If it is a man, it can be done openly and if it is a woman it must be discreet. But the act must be done. Do you understand what I am saying? Let people say what they want… What do they say? That this is harmful? Let them say it, we are not scared of anyone.”

Those who attended the sermon were certain that this was a reference to khatna, or female genital mutilation (FGM), even though the term was not used. This is because FGM is the only practice that is practiced secretly on women. The sermon was a crystal clear exhortation to the community to practice khatna, even if there is opposition to it.

On June 6, the public relations department of the Syedna issued a press release which very clearly spelt out that FGM would continue in countries which do not have anti-FGM laws.

“Male and female circumcision (called khatna and khafz respectively) are religious rites that have been practiced by Dawoodi Bohras throughout their history,” the statement said. “Religious books, written over a thousand years ago, specify the requirements for both males and females as acts of religious purity.”

The statement and the sermon both signify the turmoil in the community and the need for the head clergy to clarify their stance on the subject.

The Resistance Against Female Genital Mutilation in India is Growing | The Wire

Fighting Modern-Day Witch Hunts in India’s Remote Northeast - The New York Times

Not only am I reminded of the Salem 'Witch Trials' but also the tail end of the Satanic Panic and Cameron Todd Willingham who on February 17, 2004 was murdered by the state of Texas. [I say murdered because Willingham was innocent but beyond the scope of this posting.]

Why you might ask?

In his trial, Tim Gregory (master’s degree in marriage and family issues with no published works in the field of sociopathic behavior) was cited as stating, ",,,I see there’s an association many times with cultive-type of activities. A focus on death, dying. Many times individuals that have a lot of this type of art have interest in satanic-type activities."

At one point, Jackson showed Gregory Exhibit No. 60—a photograph of an Iron Maiden poster that had hung in Willingham’s house—and asked the psychologist to interpret it. “This one is a picture of a skull, with a fist being punched through the skull,” Gregory said; the image displayed “violence” and “death.” Gregory looked at photographs of other music posters owned by Willingham. “There’s a hooded skull, with wings and a hatchet,” Gregory continued. “And all of these are in fire, depicting—it reminds me of something like Hell. And there’s a picture—a Led Zeppelin picture of a falling angel. . . . I see there’s an association many times with cultive-type of activities. A focus on death, dying. Many times individuals that have a lot of this type of art have interest in satanic-type activities.”

It is this mentality of the prevailing culture that allows for it.  We have our Satanic Panic, India has its witchcraft.  And for those that have any doubts as where a theocracy may lead, once a system of law is based on religion, anyone can be suspect.

For three decades, Birubala Rabha, an activist, has fought to end this violent, retrograde practice of punishing women accused of witchcraft. She works with state legislators and residents of rural villages to investigate accusers and protect victims and their families. A videojournalist, Vikram Singh, traveled to Assam State to report on Ms. Rabha’s work.

Rabha's claim to fame A State in India Just Outlawed Witch-Hunting, but Many Fear That Won’t Stop the Practice.

Fighting Modern-Day Witch Hunts in India’s Remote Northeast - The New York Times

Bajrang Dal Activists Shave Man's Head, Parade Him On Donkey For Alleged Religious Conversion

A man was tonsured, garlanded with shoes, and paraded in disgrace on the streets of Jalaun in Uttar Pradesh by Bajrang Dal activists who accused him of converting Hindu men to Christianity.

The Bajrang Dal activists tonsured the man for allegedly converting Hindus and paraded him through the town after his shaving his hair, eyebrows and moustache.

The mob reportedly accused Awdhesh Savita of luring Hindus on the pretext of attending a satsang and allegedly converted them to Christianity.

Bajrang Dal Activists Shave Man's Head, Parade Him On Donkey For Alleged Religious Conversion

Irish priest punished by Florida bishop for informing on pedophile colleague - IrishCentral.com

I have been watching this situation from afar, not sure whether to post it or not.  This article courtesy of In the Name of god - The Podcast lays out the situation quite well.

A priest, originally from County Tyrone and now based in the United States, claims he has been “frozen out” of the Catholic Church after calling the police to investigate a fellow clergyman who had shown child-porn images to 14-year-old parishioner.

Fr John A Gallagher (48), from Strabane, Co Tyrone, is now living in a holiday home belonging to one of his friends and parishioners. He says the locks on his parochial house were changed and he was placed on medical leave by his bishop in the Diocese of Palm Beach, FL. Gallagher says he was told by the Catholic Church to put a pedophile priest on a plane back to India rather than cooperate with the police.

Gallagher has been living in the United States since 2000. Prior to this he served in the Long Tower parish in Derry. He is well-known in the Catholic community in the US and has made several religious music records and TV appearances. In 2012 he received a personal note from Pope Benedict XVI thanking him for his work, but Gallagher said this was little comfort as he felt “the wrath" of the Church in the past year.

Irish priest punished by Florida bishop for informing on pedophile colleague - IrishCentral.com

Priest convicted of sexual assault on teenage girl has suspension lifted by church | Americas | News | The Independent

An Indian priest convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in the United States more than 10 years ago has had his suspension lifted by the Roman Catholic church.

Rev Joseph Palanivel Jeyapaul, 61, had the suspension lifted by the bishop of the Ootacamund Diocese in India’s southern Tamil Nadu state after he was instructed to do so by authorities at the Vatican, spokesman for the diocese Rev Sebastian Selvanathan told CBS News.

"After Jeyapaul's release from the United States and his return to India, this matter was referred to Rome, and according to the guidelines of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the suspension against Jeyapaul was removed," Rev Selvanathan said.

Priest convicted of sexual assault on teenage girl has suspension lifted by church | Americas | News | The Independent

See also::   Catholic Church lifts ban on priest convicted of sexually assaulting teen

UPDATED::Where a Holy Man Lies Frozen, Threat of a Standoff Looms - NYTimes.com

UPDATE:: Two years on: ‘Baba’ Ashutosh Maharaj still in freezer, no sign of thaw

However, the arrival of four Delhi-based DJJS leaders turned things on its head. The dera started claiming that Ashutosh was in “samadhi” (state of deep meditation) and he would come out of it “very soon”.

Two years on, dera managers continue to assure Ashutosh’s disciples that he will be back. The devotees themselves look forward to this ‘second coming’ as Ashutosh had told them: “My soul will disappear and return after completing a few important tasks of mankind.”
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Though the DJJS continues to give the impression that the sect is functioning normally even in Ashutosh’s absence, the Punjab Police’s CID (criminal investigation department) has witnessed a sharp drop in the number of visitors to the dera.

A senior CID official, who is tracking DJJS activities, told HT that due to the controversy over Ashutosh’s death, the number of political leaders usually visiting the dera has also decreased.
“Ashutosh was a spiritual leader whose knowledge of mankind was vast. Since there is no dera leader now of that stature, there is no point in making repeated visits,” said a senior BJP leader who has had an old association with the DJJS.

A Nakodar-based senior sect follower, who is in favour of performing Ashutosh’s last rites, said: “The DJJS may have its reasons to advocate the ‘samadhi’ theory, but the negative publicity has brought disrespect to Ashutosh.”

See also::  Two years on, followers of Punjab Dera chief 'sleeping in a freezer' await his second coming

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But somewhere inside the ashram, Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan, hidden away in a secret chamber, is the frozen body of its spiritual leader, Ashutosh Maharaj, who was declared clinically dead of a heart attack on Jan. 29. The local news media, using a Hindi word for a holy man, have taken to calling him the “frozen baba.”

His followers — men and women who flock to the ashram by the thousands — as well as the ashram leadership, do not deny that “Maharaj ji” is there, frozen in a chamber. But they swear that he is alive, having attained “samadhi,” a high state of consciousness reserved for the holiest of men, beings so evolved they can control their heartbeat, a state indistinguishable to the unenlightened from death.

“Whenever a saint goes into samadhi, it is his disciples’ duty to preserve his body,” said an ashram preacher, Swami Vishalanand, sitting in orange robes under a framed photo of Mr. Maharaj, whose likeness dominates the ashram’s walls.

On Dec. 1, however, the High Court of Punjab and Haryana issued a 129-page order citing the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads, and referring to the embalming of Lenin. The upshot: Government and police officials were ordered to cremate Mr. Maharaj’s body within 15 days.

The ashram’s leaders are planning a monthly gathering on Sunday, just before the deadline, where they expect 60,000 people from all over the state, an event many fear could lead to a violent confrontation with the police.

The last time something like this happened, the results were catastrophic. In November, a powerful spiritual leader, Baba Rampal Maharaj, who was wanted on a murder charge fended off thousands of police officers with the help of an army of volunteers armed with diesel bombs and acid pouches. The standoff left six dead and many more wounded.

Where a Holy Man Lies Frozen, Threat of a Standoff Looms - NYTimes.com

The sinister truth behind India’s 'witch' killings - Channel NewsAsia

Despite the intensity of blind faith that drives these attacks, experts believe it is just a veil to disguise the real motives. Data is revealing that accusers tend to be those who live in close proximity to the victim, a clue to the motives.

Lawyer and leading activist in New Delhi, Ms Madhu Mehra, told INSIGHT: “They’re accused by neighbours, by extended family members. We have seen a couple of cases where the man remarried and his children accused the stepmother of witchcraft.”

Family disputes over property, land rights of women and gender conflicts tend to be factors that lead to women being labelled as witches.For example, a woman who voices her opinions, who refuses sexual advances, or whose harvests turn out better than her neighbours’, tend to be most at risk of being labelled witches, say experts.

“When the woman is a widow or does not have a son, or husband has left her, or even if she is living in her father’s house but does not have a brother, people hatch schemes to get hold of the property. And we have also seen that when a woman is vocal, when she talks too much or has leadership qualities, the woman is branded a witch in order to control her,” said Ms Sachi Kumari, a social worker and activist who has saved many such victims.

The sinister truth behind India’s 'witch' killings - Channel NewsAsia

Indian Muslim accused of beef smuggling beaten to death | World news | The Guardian

I am going to admit that parsing news stories concerning religious based crimes, particularly those from India, is becoming difficult.  With that said, another example of debauchery inspired by religious belief.

Villagers in northern India beat a Muslim man to death and injured four others who were accused of smuggling cows to be slaughtered for beef, police have said.
 
The survivors were arrested for alleged animal cruelty.

Hardline Hindus have been calling for a national ban on cow slaughter, triggering mob violence. A Muslim man was lynched in Uttar Pradesh state last month over false rumours that his family had eaten beef for dinner.

Hindus worship cows as a sacred animal and some states have a ban on their slaughter. The country of 1.3 billion is about 81% Hindu and 13% Muslim.

Officer Somya Sambhasivam said police were searching for villagers who fled after the attack on Wednesday in Sarahan, a village in Himachal Pradesh state. The area is about 160 miles (260km) north of Delhi.

Indian Muslim accused of beef smuggling beaten to death | World news | The Guardian