Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tore into the Bharatiya Janata Party government on Sunday over recent incidents of Muslims being targeted with violence over alleged beef consumption. Gandhi also had a thing or two to say about it on X: what he views as an increasing climate of fear and lawlessness under the current administration.
“Those who have climbed the ladder of political power by spreading hatred are constantly establishing a regime of fear in the country,” Gandhi said in a post on X.
“Hateful elements lurking in the form of mobs are openly spreading violence and defying the rule of law,” he further wrote, sharing screenshots of videos from both incidents.
A 72-year-old man was beaten up on a train over an accusation that he was carrying beef in Maharashtra’s Thane. Ashraf Ali Syed Hussain, a resident of Jalgaon, was traveling on the Dhule CSMT Express when the dispute began over a seat and escalated into accusations of carrying beef. In the viral videos, Hussain is seen being kicked and slapped by a group of men questioning him about the meat containers he carried.
The police have arrested three out of six accused and booked them for unlawful assembly, rioting, and criminal intimidation.
In another incident in Charkhi Dadri of Haryana on August 27, a migrant worker, Sabir Malik, was beaten to death by members of the cow vigilante group. Malik, from West Bengal, was lured under false pretenses and accused of eating beef. Seven people, including two juveniles, have been arrested in connection with Malik’s death.
Rahul Gandhi slammed the BJP government for giving these “miscreants” a free hand and noted due to that, violence against minorities has gone up.
“These miscreants have got a free hand from the BJP government, that is why they have got the courage to do this. Attacks on minorities, especially Muslims, are continuing and the government machinery is watching as a mute spectator,” Gandhi said.
“The rule of law must be established by taking the strictest action against such anarchic elements. Any attack on the communal unity of India and the rights of Indians is an attack on the Constitution, which we will not tolerate at all. No matter how much effort BJP makes, we will win this historic battle to unite India against hatred,” he added.