Junior HRD minister R S Katheria calls Muslims 'demons', then denies

Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development Ram Shankar Katheria, has denied allegations that he tried to incite violence against Muslims last week. “Whatever the newspaper said about my speech is completely untrue,” he said, referring to a report in The Indian Express newspaper, which said the junior HRD minister had in a public speech equated Muslims to “demons” and “descendants of Ravana”, and warned of a “final battle”.

Katheria's speech came at a condolence meeting for Dalit VHP leader Arun Mahaur, who was killed last week, allegedly by Muslim youths, The Indian Express reported. Those present on the dais also included Bharatiya Janata Party’s Fatehpur Sikri MP Babu Lal.

Babu Lal was later quoted by news agencies as supporting Katheria. "Badla nai lenge toh kya aarti utaarenge in logon ki? (If not revenge, should we worship them?)", he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

In an audio clip uploaded on soundcloud by The Indian Express, Katheria can be heard saying, “We have to make ourselves powerful. We have to launch a struggle. If we don’t begin a struggle, then today we have lost an Arun, tomorrow we will lose another. Before another is lost, we must show such strength that these killers are driven away."




The audio clip also includes anti-Muslim slogans from the crowd and other MLAs and party leaders present at the meeting.