Minorities panel sends notice on Dadri lynching

Action comes on request of a Congressman

Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said the lynching of Mohammad Akhlaq, following rumours he had stored beef in his house, is an issue “to which communal colour must not be added.”

Mr. Singh’s appeal came even as it emerged that the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) has served a show cause notice on the district magistrate of Gautam Buddh Nagar on the incident. Dadri, the area where the incident occurred, falls within this district in Uttar Pradesh.

The notice was sent on September 30 after a request by Congressman Shehzad Poonawalla. The NCM has given the magistrate seven days to respond.

The Ministry of Minority Affairs, apart from one statement from senior minister Najma Heptullah, reiterating that the report of the State Government to the Home Ministry was awaited, maintained a studied silence.

“We must wait for the report. My work is to create confidence between communities,” she had said in Kolkata two days ago.

Her party colleague and controversial MP from Unnao, Sakshi Maharaj, termed the compensation given to the lynching victim’s family by the Uttar Pradesh government, an “appeasement.”

The Dadri lynching

• » In Dadri's Bishara village on September 28, a 50-year-old Mohammad Akhlaq was lynched and his son Danish (22) was brutally beaten up as punishment for allegedly eating beef on Eid and 'storing it' for later consumption.
• » A riot-like situation gripped the sleepy village, a little over 40 km from the bustling sub-city of Noida, near Delhi, on September 29, when their relatives were barred from participating in the funeral procession.
• » It was mutton, said the slain man's mother Asgari Begum.
• » The Uttar Pradesh government on September 30 ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident and also announced a compensation of Rs.10 lakh for the family of the victim.
• »Editorial:>No thought for food
• »> Despite prohibitory orders, Dadri gets high-profile visitors

• >

  Dadri temple priest detained; Centre seeks report from U.P.

  The Centre has also sent an advisory to the State to keep a check on incidents of communal violence.

• >

  UP launches probe into killing over beef

  As the rumour spread, villagers blocked a highway in Bisrakh area on September 29, demanding death penalty for those involved in the slaughter.

• >

  Union Minister Mahesh Sharma terms Dadri killing as 'accident'

  He 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.

• >

  AAP sought removal of Mahesh Sharma, Kejriwal was stopped from entering Dadri village on October 03

  The party demanded removal of Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma for his remarks.

Key developments:

1	The Chief Minister had announced an increase in the financial assistance for the family from Rs. 10 lakh to Rs. 20 lakh.
2	Vishal, son of Sanjay Rana, a local BJP leader, was arrested in connection with the case. >Read more
3	Family members of Mohammad Akhlaque Saifi, who was lynched over rumours about cow slaughter in this Uttar Pradesh village, had told the police about the possible role of Vishal, son of Sanjay Rana, a local BJP leader, in inciting the mob last Monday, sources say.
4	With two high-profile visits, first by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and later by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, the area remained tense. Several hundreds of agitated village women on the streets protested against what they alleged to be “one-sided media coverage”.
5	Armed with stones, several hundred women took to the streets and abused presspersons and politicians. They chased the media outside the village in the morning and barred anyone from entering the village.
6	Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha told presspersons that the Air Force was in touch with the family and was looking to move them to a secure military locality. >Read more
7	Union Minister Mahesh Sharma had described the lynching as an “accident” and said that no “communal colour” should be given to it. >Read more
8	The Uttar Pradesh government has ordered a probe into the incident. Chief Secretary Alok Ranjan said the probe would be completed on Wednesday. >Read more
9	In the wake of the killing, Vice-President Hamid Ansari said that progress and development can be achieved if the people of India are united.
10	In Dadri's Bishara village on September 28, a 50-year-old Mohammad Akhlaq was lynched and his son Danish (22) was brutally beaten up as punishment for allegedly eating beef on Eid and 'storing it' for later consumption.