Mohammad Hussain and his wife were among the passengers who were allegedly targetted by the rightwing Gaurakshak Samiti.
A Muslim couple was allegedly assaulted on a train in Madhya Pradesh by members of a self-styled cow protection group after they objected to their luggage being searched for beef.
On Wednesday, seven members of the rightwing "Gaurakshak Samiti" got on the Kushinagar Express train at a station in Harda district and insisting on searching passengers and their bags. The group claimed they had been tipped off about a passenger carrying beef.
Naseema Bano and her husband Mohammad Hussain were among the passengers who were allegedly asked to submit to the search.
In a complaint to the police, Naseema Bano has said she and her husband were thrashed because they resisted the men and tried to stop them from harassing other passengers. Hussain said he called a relative, who came with eight men. The two groups clashed.
"These men claimed to be commandos from Gaurakshak Samiti and pulled the chain and told us the train would not move until all our luggage was checked for beef. They harassed passengers," said Hussain.
Two members of the Gaurakshak Samiti were arrested and so were nine others from the rival group. All of them have been let off on bail.
The cow protection group found a black bag of meat in the coach, which was examined and found to be buffalo meat.
Targeting the state's ruling BJP, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said: "Chief Minister Shivraj Chauhan is behind this. Either you have no control over the state and if you do, then you are doing it."
The BJP reacted cautiously. "We are trying to get details. It seems that there was beef in the compartment which let to ruckus," said the party's state president Nand Kumar Chauhan. Asked whether it justified the assault on the couple, he said: "We will reply after checking the facts."
Recent attacks over alleged cattle-killing or beef-eating have been cited by activists and political parties as examples of rising intolerance in India.