Member of Parliament and president Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen Asaduddin Owaisi condemned the murder of a 50-year-old man in Dadri, Uttar Pradesh over rumours of cow slaughter. Akhlaq was allegedly beaten to death by a mob as rumours spread that he and his family ate beef.
Mr. Owaisi said that attempts made by Sangh Parivar will weaken the secular and democratic fabric of the country. “These are attempts made the bhakts of the Parivar to convert India into a Hindu nation,” he said. Pointing out that the lynched man’s son was serving the Indian Air Force, Mr. Owaisi asked, “Will our democracy become a banana republic. Assuming that one eats beef… will a mob make an announcement from a temple to kill him.”
The MIM president stressed that in this case the State government had allowed a complete failure of the law and order situation. He dubbed the Samajwadi Party government in UP as incompetent silent spectators. “They did nothing,” he said.
