MAN BEATEN FOR FILING INTERFAITH MARRIAGE IN GZB

Home minister says govt taking mob action ‘very seriously’

GHAZIABAD: A mob beat up a Muslim man and damaged his car on Monday afternoon after he arrived at Ghaziabad city’s tehsil office to marry a Hindu girl with whom he has been in a live-in relationship for past four years. The suspects are believed to be from right-wing groups. Police have filed a case.

NEW DELHI : Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said the central government might bring a law, if necessary, to stop incidents of mob lynching across the country.

“After deliberations, we will take a decision as to what needs to be done to take strong action against the incidents of lynchings. We will also bring a law if that is required,” Singh said, adding such incidents have been happening for the past many years.

Singh was responding to the Opposition’s outcry in the Lok Sabha following the latest in a series of incidents of mob lynching in recent past, in which a Muslim man was killed in Rajasthan’s Alwar district over claims that he was smuggling two cows to his native place in Haryana.

Victim Rakbar Khan’s family has said they are milk traders.

During the debate on the issue of lynchings in the Lok Sabha, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge demanded that a sitting Supreme Court judge conduct the inquiry into such incidents and take action.

Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandopadhyay said mob lynchings were creating an alarming situation in the country. AIADMK leader M Thambidurai urged the Centre to come forward and stop such incidents.

“Why is this happening? What is intelligence (agencies) doing?... What is the role of the Centre?” the deputy speaker asked.

CPI(M) member Mohammed Salim said a trend of mob justice on the streets is increasing based on rumours, cow protection or child-lifting and that this was being done to spread hatred.

“Such incidents of hatred are spreading across the country and it is very dangerous. It is not just

a Hindu-Muslim issue or a matter of cow protection, even Swami Agnivesh was attacked,” he said.