Watch: 4 tannery workers stripped, thrashed for alleged cow skin possession

Four young tannery workers, accused of smuggling leather, were stripped and thrashed by a group of self-styled cow vigilantes in Gujarat's Gir Somnath district on 11 July.

The incident was filmed and the Somnath police have reportedly arrested three of the five men in the video.

In the video, the men can be seen asking the workers where they got the cow skin from. The workers, who are Dalits, reportedly said that they were transporting animal carcasses.

The cow vigilantes have claimed that cow meat was found on the tannery workers. India Today reported that Gir Somnath district president, Goswami Pramod Ramesh Giri, from the Shiv Sena, was among the first to beat the men.

"We had information that a few people were slaughtering cows and eating beef. We have informed the police and they will conduct further inquiry," Goswami told NDTV.

Watch the video here: