Alwar lynching case: ‘Clueless’ Modi govt speaks in two languages in Parliament

The issue rocked the Upper House of Parliament and the Congress has moved an adjournment motion on the incident

Written by: Priyanka Rathi

Updated: April 6, 2017, 1:09 PM IST

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https://www.india.com/news/india/alwar-lynching-case-clueless-modi-govt-speaks-in-two-languages-in-parliament-1999653/ Copy

New Delhi, April 6: The Narendra Modi government was on Thursday seen speaking in two languages in Parliament on the Alwar lynching incident. While Home Minister Rajnath Singh informed Lok Sabha that a thorough investigation will be done in the case, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi outrightly denied any such incident in the Rajya Sabha.

“Jis tarah ki ghatna pesh ki ja rahi hai, aisi koi ghatna zameen par nahi hui hai (The way the incident has been presented, no such thing has happened on the ground),” Naqvi said.

The issue rocked the Upper House of Parliament and the Congress has moved an adjournment motion on the incident. Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad quoted a report from the New York Times over the case. “I am extremely sorry that the minister is so ill-informed. Even the New York Times knows and the minister doesn’t know,” Azad said.

After members from both the sides raised their voices, Deputy Chairperson PJ Kurien intervened and asked the government to present the facts in the case. “I cannot go by the newspaper report,” he said.

He also asked the minister to get a detailed report from the Home Ministry. A discussion cannot take place until and unless the incident is being verified the government.

Attacking the government over the incident, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi tweeted, “When government abdicates responsibility and allows lynch mobs to rule,tragedies of immense proportion follow. Shocking breakdown of law and order in Alwar. We expect government to take strict action against those responsible for this brutal and senseless attack. All right thinking Indians must condemn this blind brutality.”

When Govt abdicates responsibility&allows lynch mobs to rule,tragedies of immense proportion follow.Shocking breakdown of law&order in Alwar

— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) April 6, 2017

We expect Govt to take strict action against those responsible for this brutal & senseless attack

— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) April 6, 2017

All right thinking Indians must condemn this blind brutality

— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) April 6, 2017

On Wednesday, Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Ahir condemned the incident and said the Bharatiya Janata Party doesn’t support any such violence. “We do not support such incidents. One should respect and protect the holy cow. We do not support any such violence,” Ahir told ANI.

In the Alwar cow vigilantism case, Pehlu Khan who was lynched to death on the suspicion of smuggling cows, was a dairy farmer. According to a report, the 55-year-old Khan had set out on the 240-km road trip from his home in Jaisinghpur village, in Nuh tehsil of Mewat, to Jaipur last Friday. He was planning to buy a milch buffalo, to increase milk production during Ramzan but, later changed his mind and decided to buy a milch cow instead.

Pehlu Khan’s son Aarif recounted how gau rakshaks stopped their vehicle and attacked them with sticks and belts. He added that the police reached the spot about 20-30 minutes later and till then all were lying unconscious.

The incident took place on April 1 on NH 8.

While producing the receipt of the purchase of the cows, Aarif told the Indian Express that the police have registered an FIR, which states that Khan and the others did not have a purchase document or receipt, against them for illegally transporting cattle for slaughter. The complaint on the same was done by a person identified as Damodar Singh.

The police have arrested three in the matter. However, none of them include the ones named in the FIR. The six named in the attack are Hukum Chand, Jagmal, Om Prakash, Sudheer, Rahul Saini and Navin Saini.

Speaking to news channel Times Now, Alwar SP Rahul Prakash said that, “The three were identified through the video footage that showed a man being assaulted by alleged cow vigilantes.”

The Rajasthan Police has registered a murder case over Khan’s death and has also formed three teams to arrest the cow vigilantes involved in the case.