Mohammad Akhlaq was killed by a mob in Bisada village in Uttar Pradesh (Agence France-Presse photo)
A young man has allegedly committed suicide in Dadri's Bisara village, where a mob lynched a man last week following rumours that he stored and consumed beef.
The body of Prakash, 25, was found at his home this morning. He had consumed poison, say locals, alleging that he was being harassed by the police.
The police, however, say it could have been a natural death. They are waiting for the post-mortem report.
The reports of the suicide have added to the tension at the Rajput-majority village, where police had been stationed since the death of 52-year-old Mohammad Akhlaq on September 25.
While nine persons have been arrested for the lynching, most men of the village have been on the run since. The women have been camping at the village gates, trying to keep out the media and explaining their troubles to visiting politicians.
The mob had descended on the home of Mr Akhlaq -- who had been their neighbour for years - following an announcement at a local temple that a calf has been killed nearby. They had dragged him and his 22 year-old son Danish out of the house and attacked them with bricks and stones.
Mohammad Akhlaq had died on the spot. Danish is fighting for his life.