NEW DELHI, July 25 (Xinhua) -- In a fresh incident of mob violence four men were assaulted Wednesday for transporting buffalo carcass in northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, officials said.

However, timely intervention of the police saved them from getting killed.

The incident took place in Hathras district, about 382 km west of Lucknow, the capital city of Uttar Pradesh.

"During the early hours today a mob assaulted four men after accusing them of killing the buffalo and taking it in pick-up van. However, policemen arrived at the spot and convinced the crowd that law will take its own course," a police official posted in Hathras said. "We are investigating the matter."

The victims identified as two Hindus and two Muslims were ruthlessly beaten, dragged and abused by the mob.

A video was circulated on social media showing men with their clothes ripped off, surrounded by villagers.

Reports said the men were saying they had gone to the village to pick up a dead buffalo on the instructions of a contractor they worked for.

Last week 28-year Rakbar Khan was lynched by cow vigilantes in India's western state of Rajasthan. Post-mortem report said Khan died of shock and injuries from a "blunt weapon or object."

India's Supreme Court recently termed mob lynchings as "horrendous acts of mobocracy" and said in a democracy, mobocracy can't be allowed. The top court urged the Indian parliament to consider enacting a new penal provision to deal with mob violence and provide deterrent punishment to offenders.

There has been an increase in the cases of mob lynching in India either in the name of cow protection or on the rumors of child lifting.

According to the official data between 2014 and March 2018, 45 people were killed in 40 cases of mob lynching across the country. The Home Ministry said 217 suspects had been arrested in these cases.