Two girls were charred to death and 12 people were critically injured when a mob set ablaze several houses in a village in Shravasti district of Uttar Pradesh on Thursday.

A neelgai [Indian bison] had been killed on the banks of the Rapti river in Katramafi Barga village on Wednesday night, Additional District Magistrate J B Singh said.

But a rumour spread that a cow [gai in Hindi] had been slaughtered. As a result hundreds of people surrounded the village and set ablaze the houses in the morning, he said.

Security personnel were deployed in the area to bring the situation under control and six persons were taken into custody, he said.