Three men have been arrested in connection with the killing of a police officer during mob violence over alleged cow slaughter in northern India, officials said Tuesday.
Subodh Kumar Singh was killed when villagers, many of them activists from hardline Hindu groups, clashed with police in Uttar Pradesh state's Bulandshahr district on Monday.
They were protesting the alleged inability of police to stop cow slaughter, claiming that carcasses of animals including cows were found in the region. An 18-year old protester also died in the rioting.
"We have arrested three men and detained four more for questioning. A total of 27 people are listed as accused in the case," said investigating officer Pravin Ranjan Singh.
India's Hindu majority regards cows as holy and their slaughter is banned in several states. There have been a string of attacks by right-wing Hindus targeting Muslims and low-caste Dalits over cattle slaughter and beef consumption.
Shops and schools were closed on Tuesday in Bulandshahr, where additional police were deployed to prevent further violence.
According to data analytics site India Spend, almost 80 cases of cow-related violence were reported between 2012 and 2017. 
Ninety-seven per cent of these occurred after the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in 2014.

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