An Indian police official said that three men were arrested in the eastern state of Bihar in connection with the death of a Muslim man who was attacked on suspicion of possessing cow meat.

Naseem Qureshi (56 years old) died last week after being attacked by a group that suspected he was carrying cow meat, which is banned by some Indian local governments for sale and consumption in certain parts of the country.

Cows are considered sacred in Hinduism, and attacks frequently occur on those suspected of slaughtering them for their meat or hides, most of whom are from the Muslim minority or the lower castes according to the old caste system in India.

Hardline Hindu groups call for a complete ban on cow slaughter throughout India.

Hindu groups that have positioned themselves as cow protectors have been enforcing the law themselves since the nationalist Hindu Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government came to power in 2014.

Bihar is currently governed by a regional party, while Modi's party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, is in opposition in the state.

In the recent incident in the state, a police statement to the court said that more than twenty people surrounded Qureshi and attacked him.

The police intervened, but Qureshi died while being transferred to the hospital, according to the statement.

Ramachandra Tiwari, head of Rasulpur police station in Bihar, where the crime took place, also said over the phone that three were arrested.