'Say Jai Shri Ram and embrace people, don't throttle them'

Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi expresses his views over Jharkhand lynching case

New Delhi: Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Tuesday termed the lynching of a 24-year-old man in Jharkhand a "heinous crime" and said "Jai Shri Ram" can be chanted by embracing people and not by throttling them.

Naqvi made the remarks on the sidelines of a training programme for Haj deputationists and called for stern action against those involved in such incidents.

Tabrez Ansari was attacked by a mob, which accused him of theft and allegedly forced him to chant "Jai Shri Ram" and "Jai Hanuman" in Jharkhand’s Saraikela Kharsawan
district.

"Jai Shri Ram can be chanted by embracing people and not after throttling them. Such incidents cannot be justified. We have committed that we won’t let the destructive agenda dominate the development agenda," Naqvi said.

Eleven people have been arrested in connection with Ansari’s death and a special investigation team has been set up to look into the matter.

The issue of lynching figured prominently in the Rajya Sabha Tuesday with NCP member Majeed Memon attacking the government for increase in such incidents. He sought to know how the Muslim youth could be living in constant fear trust, and whether the 21 crore Muslims were getting the right to life under the constitution.

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