New Delhi: Union Minister Mahesh Sharma on Thursday described the lynching of a 50-year-old man in Dadri by a mob, allegedly over consumption of beef, as an “accident” and said that no “communal colour” should be given to it, even as the family of the victim is planning to move out of the village fearing that it may happen again.
“This (incident) should be considered as an accident without giving any communal colour to it,” Sharma, Minister of State for Tourism and BJP MP from Noida, said.
“Two other families live with the affected family in the middle of the village and their walls adjoin with others.
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About 10-12 houses of other community are in the outlying part of the village but no incident concerning them has happened,” he said.
“I feel this incident occurred due to some misunderstanding and the law should truthfully act against whoever is responsible for it,” he said.
Iqlakh’s other son, Sartaj, who serves in the Indian Air Force,demanded punishment for the murderers of his father.
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“Those arrested murdered my father. I want to know the reason for which they did this to him. They should be punished so that none from the village would dare to such deed in future,” he said.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Meem Afzal on Thursday criticised Sharma for his unwarranted comment on the Dadri incident.
“I don’t understand what is wrong with the Cultural Minister. First, he made comments about APJ Abdul Kalam, saying that Kalam was a patriot even though he was a Muslim. By making such comments, he is encouraging such incidents,” Afzal said.
PTI