Prime Minister NarendraModi said it was unacceptable to kill in the name of cow, sending a strong warning to cow vigilantes during his speech at the centenary celebrations of the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad in Gujarat.

"No one has the right to take law into his/her hands. We belong to a land of non-violence," said PM Modi adding that Mahatma Gandhi would not have approved of such violence. VinobaBhave and the Mahatma had cared the most about protecting cows and had shown the path, he said.

Killing in the name of protecting cows has increased lately, the most recent incident being the lynching of a 15-year-old Muslim boy Junaid, on a train in Haryana. What began as a clash over the sharing of seats ended up in the mob lynching of the young boy. It is alleged that the mob attacked Junaid and his brothers, calling them as "beef eaters".

This is not the first time the PM has voiced against such killing in the name of protecting cow He said that some anti-social people only "masquerade as cow protectors" and that those who wanted to serve the cow should ensure the animals do not eat plastic.