Lynchings will increase with rise in PM Narendra Modi's popularity, warns Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal

JAIPUR: Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal has warned that more incidents of mob lynching will happen with the rise in popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The minister said this while referring to the alleged lynching of a 28-year-old man by a violent mob in Rajasthan's Alwar district over suspicion of cow smuggling on Friday night.

Meghwal, who is the Union Minister of State in Ministry of Water Resources, also assumed that PM Modi's detractors are trying to defame the central government by raking up the lynching incidents.

"The more popular Modi ji becomes, the more such incidents will happen. In Bihar elections, it was 'Award Wapsi', in Uttar Pradesh elections, it was mob lynching. In 2019 elections, it will be something else. Prime Minister Modi gave several schemes, their effects can be seen, this (lynching) incident is just one reaction to it," Meghwal was quoted as saying by ANI on Saturday.

Referring to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, the Union Minister said that it was the biggest case of mob lynching in India ever.

Meghwal, however, condemned the Alwar incident in strongest terms and demanded strict action against those responsible for it.

"We condemn mob lynching but this isn't a single incident. You have to trace this back in history. Why does this happen? Who should stop this? What happened with Sikhs in 1984 was the biggest mob lynching of this nation's history," Meghwal said.

A 28-year-old man, identified as Akbar Khan, was allegedly beaten to death by a violent mob on the suspicion of cow smuggling in Alwar on Friday night.

After getting information, the police reached the spot immediately and rushed the man to a nearby hospital. However, he succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at the hospital. The incident occurred in the Ramgarh area of Alwar.

The body of the deceased was moved to Alwar mortuary and later sent for post-mortem. While the autopsy report is awaited, Khan's family members have demanded quick action in the case. "We want justice. The culprits should be arrested soon," his father Suleman said.

A case of murder has been registered in connection with the incident. Jaipur range Inspector General Hemant Priyadarshi has confirmed that two of the accused, Dharmendra Yadav and Paramjeet Singh Sardar, have been arrested.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has condemned the latest incident of cow vigilantism and assured stern action against the perpetrators.

"The incident of alleged lynching of a person transporting bovines in Alwar district is condemnable. Strictest possible action shall be taken against the perpetrators," Raje tweeted.

#Alwar में गो परिवहन से सम्बंधित वारदात में हुई नृशंस हत्या की मैं कड़े शब्दों में निंदा करती हूँ। पुलिस मामला दर्ज कर दो संदिग्ध व्यक्तियों से पूछताछ कर रही है। मैंने गृह मंत्री @GulabKataria जी को जल्द से जल्द मामले की छानबीन कर दोषियों को कड़ी सज़ा दिलाने के निर्देश दिए हैं। — Vasundhara Raje (@VasundharaBJP) July 21, 2018

Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria too assured strictest possible action against those involved in the alleged lynching incident.

"Proper investigation will be done and strict action will be taken against the accused. We try to rise above the cast and religious boundaries and investigate the case thoroughly. We have never left any lynching case untouched. In the same way, the culprits, in this case, will get the punishment they deserve according to the law," Kataria said while speaking to reporters.

In a similar incident, 50-year-old Pehlu Khan was beaten to death by cow vigilantes in the same district in April last year.

Replying to the no-confidence motion on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had urged state governments to take stringent action against the culprits of mob lynching.

Despite several measures taken by the Centre and the state governments, the cases of mob fury have been on a rise in India. 

As per the data compiled by the Ministry of Home Affairs, at least 45 persons were killed in 40 cases of mob lynching across nine states between 2014 and  March 3, 2018.

(With ANI inputs)