‘Criminals are Criminals, not Hindus or Muslims’, says Naqvi on cow vigilantism

This comment of his came a day after he denied the incident ever occurred

By: IANS News Agency |
April 7, 2017 1:22 pm

Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Friday said the alleged lynching of a man in Rajasthan by cow vigilantes should not be viewed from a religious point of view as “criminals are just criminals”.

This comment of his came a day after he denied the incident ever occurred.

The opposition raised the issue in the Rajya Sabha amid noisy scenes for the second day in a row, seeking an apology from Naqvi for misleading the House on Thursday.

Naqvi assured the House that Home Minister Rajnath Singh was likely to make a statement over the incident on Monday.

“A criminal, a murderer, a hooligan should not be looked at as a Hindu or a Muslim. A criminal is a criminal,” Naqvi told the House.

Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad demanded Naqvi’s apology for “misleading the House” and also sought action against the self-styled “gau rakshaks” who were harassing and killing people in the name of cow protection.

Apraadhi, qatil, gunda, badmash. usko Hindu Musalman ke nazar se mat dekhye, apraadhi apraadhi hai: Mukhtar A Naqvi in RS on Alwar incident pic.twitter.com/3BkgkEPJs7

— ANI (@ANI_news) April 7, 2017

Congress MPs gathered near the Chairman’s podium, demanding adjournment. However, Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien, presiding the proceedings, rejected the demand.

“One gets 14-day remand for slapping. But in this Rajasthan case, the accused was freed after a day. This government should take this House seriously,” Azad said.

“This is undermining the position of the Rajya Sabha. Since the Alwar issue was raised yesterday