The murder by a Hindu mob of a Muslim man rumored to have slaughtered a cow has thrown a spotlight on the hard-line, polarizing agenda of some followers of Indian Prime Minster Narendra Modi, undermining his promise of development for all.
On a tour of Silicon Valley last month where he was feted by U.S. tech gurus and Indian emigres, Modi won a pledge from Microsoft to provide low-cost Internet for 500,000 villages to back his vision of a globally networked "Digital India."
One such village is Bisara, 50 km (30 miles) from the capital New Delhi, where a crowd of assailants broke into Mohammed Akhlaq's home last Monday night, beat him to death and dragged his body out into the street.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.