Eleven cow protection vigilantes in the Indian state of Jharkhand have been sentenced to life in prison for killing a Muslim man who was transporting beef.

They are thought to be the first people convicted for violence in the name of the cow.

The men, including a district media officer for the ruling Bharatiya Janata party, were convicted of murder and criminal conspiracy offences by a fast-track court on Wednesday.

On the morning of 29 June 2017, the men were part of a mob that pulled Alimuddin Ansari from his vehicle, beat him to death and then set the car on fire. Videos of the crime showed the men thrashing Ansari with pieces of meat while the car burned nearby.

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