Mumbai, Aug 21: Cow vigilantism has reached the Maximum City. And the issue is not about skinning a cow or even possession of beef, but carrying a leather bag that apparently looks like it has been made of cow hide.

A creative director with a production house was harassed by a group of self-proclaimed "cow protectors" over a leather bag he was carrying while commuting to work in an autorickshaw in Mumbai's Andheri (West) on Friday.

Barun Kashyap's Facebook post, in which he described his ordeal, drew hundreds of reactions from outraged Mumbaikars who said such bullying had no place in the city. He approached cops, who filed a non-cognizable complaint (NC) against three men on Saturday. Asked why just an NC, a police officer said it was because "there was no physical harm done to Kashyap".

Recounting his experience, Kashyap, who has lived in Mumbai for the past two-and-half years, said, "I hailed an auto outside my Andheri building to go to work (in the same suburb) around 11-11.30am, planning to stop at a bank on the way to deposit cash."

"The auto driver peered at me curiously... He asked me in English where I was from and I replied Assam... after a while, he asked if the state was located near Bangladesh." After Kashyap said yes, the auto driver started to drive.

At a traffic signal, the driver told Kashyap that his leather bag was stinking. "I told him it happens in the monsoon when the bag gets wet. He wasn't convinced and touched the bag when I wasn't looking. He then said the bag was made of cow hide. I told him it was camel leather. But the answer did not satisfy him and he argued."

While passing a temple, he stopped the vehicle and gestured at a couple of men. "One of the men then poked his head into the auto and touched my bag. All this while, I was protesting..." Kashyap said. Eventually, the auto driver started driving. "I had glanced at four digits on the vehicle number plate and made a mental note of it when the driver said, 'Aaj toh bach gaye (you were saved today)'," Kashyap added.