Don't connect Alwar incident with religion: Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi

Following his comment that "no such incident had happened," regarding the Alwar lynching, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on 7 April said a criminal is a criminal and he should not be seen as a Hindu or a Muslim.

Addressing the Upper House, Naqvi said, "Criminal, murderer, goon or a rowdy, we should not see them as a Hindu or a Muslim as a criminal is a criminal. (Apraadhi, qatil, gunda, badmash. usko Hindu Musalman ke nazar se mat dekhye, apraadhi apraadhi hai)."

This was followed by an uproar in the Rajya Sabha, with members from the Congress raising slogans and asking the Home Minister to make a statement, to which Naqvi said Home Minister will give details about the incident on Monday.

Meanwhile the opposition MPs have sought adjournment of the Rajya Sabha over the episode, but Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien said the proceedings would continue.

The Alwar lynching case, in which five men were assaulted leading to the death of a Muslim man by a group of cow vigilantes, stalled both Houses of the Parliament yesterday.

As a united opposition in the Rajya Sabha slammed the government for doing nothing against cow vigilante groups beating up people in order to protect cows from smuggling, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi denied the occurrence of any such incident and said that it did not happen.

"This is a sensitive issue. A message should not go that we are supporting cow slaughter! Such an incident did not happen on the ground. The state governmnet has denied the report. But let this House not send a message that it supports cow slaughter," Naqvi said.

The Rajya Sabha is witnessing unruly scenes over the lynching of a 55-year-old man by alleged cow vigilantes in Rajasthan.

-ANI