Senior Congress leader and Thiruvandipuram MP Shashi Tharoor hit out at the Modi government over incidents of mob lynching in the country since the 2014 elections.
Speaking at an event in Pune on Sunday, Tharoor said, “What have we seen in last 6 years? It started with the killing of Mohsin Shaikh in Pune. Then Mohd Akhlaq was killed saying he is carrying beef. But it was reported later that it was not beef. Even if it was beef who gave anyone the right to kill a person?”
Tharoor went on to add, “Is this our Bharat? Is this what Hindu Dharam says? I am a Hindu but not of this kind. Also, while killing people, they are asked to say ‘Jai Sri Ram’. It is an insult to Hindu Dharma. It is an insult to Lord Ram that people are being killed using his name.”
Speaking about 55-year-old dairy farmer Pehlu Khan, who was allegedly lynched to death by self-proclaimed cow vigilantes on suspicion of cow smuggling in Alwar, in April 2017, Tharoor added:
“Also, Pehlu Khan had the licence to carry cow in a lorry for dairy farming, but he was also lynched. One election result gave so much power to such people that they do anything and kill anyone.”
Meanwhile, in order to prevent lynching incidents, an anti-mob lynching law was introduced by several states like West Bengal, Rajasthan, and Manipur.