In the backdrop of political sparring being played out after the lynching of a man for allegedly eating beef in Dadri, Uttar Pradesh, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh asked everyone to maintain secularism in the nation.
He also said that any threat to the secular fabric of the country would not be tolerated, as per media reports.
On the Dadri lynching the Home Minister assured that said his ministry would look into the state government’s report.
Rajnath was responding to questions asked by reporters on the sidelines of a function to mark the 80th birth anniversary of late farmer leader Mahendra Singh Tikait.
On the other hand, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also condemned the lynching and said such incidents hurt the country’s image.
“India is a mature society. We need to rise above these kinds of incidents because they certainly don’t give a good name as far as the country is concerned,” he told reporters in New York after a lecture at Columbia University.
He was responding when asked to comment on the lynching incident in Dadri which has happened at a time when the government was wooing foreign investors.
“I have also said they can amount to policy diversions in that context so it is the responsibility of every Indian in his actions or comments to stay clear of unfortunate and condemnable instances like this,” the senior BJP leader said.
Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government has submitted a report to the Centre on the lynching but made no categorical mention of “beef consumption or cow slaughter” having triggered the killing of Mohammad Iqlakh.
The report sent to the Home Ministry said Iqlakh and his son Danish were attacked by some unidentified people over unconfirmed allegations of having consumed “pratibandhit pashu ka maans” (meat of an animal banned from slaughter).
The report incorporated a factual account of the incident as recorded in the FIR registered by the local police in Dadri in Gautam Budh Nagar district, a Home Ministry official said.
The state government’s report made no mention of the circumstances that may have provoked mob to lynch Iqlakh.
On the action taken following the incident, the report said some suspects have been picked up following preliminary investigation. Without going into details of the possible motive behind the killing, the report said further probe is on.
