BJP MLA Rajkumar Thukral questions Muslim youth's presence in Uttarakhand temple premises, defends violent mob

DEHRADUN: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Rajkumar Thukral on Tuesday sparked a controversy after he defended the violent mob that attacked a Muslim youth who was found in the premises of a temple in Uttarakhand's Ramnagar.

He said that Hindus do not go to mosques and madrasas because they are not allowed to go. Then why did the Muslim youth stepped inside the temple premises, he asked.

Blaming the law and administration, the BJP MLA further questioned the intentions of the Muslim man and accused him of harming Hindu sentiments. "Why did they go to the temple with an intention to destroy Hindu Sabhyata?" he said.

Thukral added, "We are already fighting against 'forceful conversion of religion' and 'love jihad'. If police and administration fail to do their job effectively, Hindu Sena will be compelled to take necessary actions to stop these malpractices, he further said.

The BJP MLA's remark comes barely days after a Sikh policeman rescued a Muslim man from a mob allegedly comprised right-wing people. Gagandeep Singh saved the life of the Muslim youth who was being assaulted after the latter was allegedly found in a compromising position with a Hindu girl at a temple near Ramnagar.

A video featuring Sub-Inspector Gagandeep Singh went viral on social media platforms and has been doing its rounds since then. Gagandeep Singh won praise on social media and was hailed as a hero after the video purportedly showing him saving the Muslim man from the violent mob went viral.

Dehradun: Gagandeep Singh, a Sikh policeman who had saved the life of a Muslim youth from a violent mob after the latter was allegedly found in a compromising position with a Hindu girl at a temple near Ramnagar, has won praise on social media.

Sub-Inspector Gagandeep Singh is now being hailed as a hero after a video purportedly showing him saving a Muslim youth from a violent mob went viral on the social media platforms.

According to ADG (law and order) Ashok Kumar, the incident occurred on Tuesday when a Muslim youth went to meet his Hindu girlfriend at the popular Garjia Devi temple, which is about 15 km from Ramnagar. Locals somehow came to know about it and reached the temple to "teach the duo a lesson".

Sub-Inspector Gagandeep Singh, who was informed about a possible trouble in the area, immediately rushed to the spot where he found a mob preparing to attack the couple alleging that they had been found in a compromising position.

Singh, without fearing the violent mob, immediately rushed to their rescue drawing the Muslim youth close to him to act as a shield to him, and in the process taking several blows from the mob on himself.

The entire incident was caught on camera and it was widely shared on the social media where people hailed the Sikh cop for his heroic act.  

The Uttarakhand Police have, meanwhile, booked at least five people whose faces are visible in the clip and initiated a massive search to nab them. 

A reward of Rs 2,500 has also been announced for Gagandeep Singh for his act of bravery, the ADG said.