No politics should be played over Dadri killing, says Mahesh Sharma

Condemning the brutal killing of Mohammad Akhlaq in Dadri, Uttar Pradesh over alleged rumours that his family consumed and stored beef in their house, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Culture and Tourism Mahesh Sharma on Friday said it was not a pre-planned event and no politics should be played over it.

"Today, I met the mother and the family members of the victim. It is a very sad incident. This is against the 'Ganga Jamuni' culture of our nation. There should be no politics about this tragic incident," Sharma said after the meeting.

"It just happened. Proper investigation should be carried out whether by CBI or by the state government," he added.

Mix reactions have been coming over the brutal killing of Akhlaq with some politicians saying that it was pre-planned event.

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi, who also met the kith and kin of the victim, maintained that it was a pre-planned event.

Yesterday, senior advocate Prashant Bhushan had also claimed that the lynching of the Dadri victim was a well thought-out plan by vested interests in view of the upcoming panchayat elections."

"The manner the rumour was spread and the way the mob had gathered and attacked the victim. The way the police came and started searching the victim's refrigerator to find whether there was beef in it instead of looking into the murder, it clearly shows that it was a well-planned strategy by those who wanted to create communal strife in the region in view of the upcoming panchayat elections," said Bhushan.

Fifty-year-old Akhlaq, the father of an Indian Air Force personnel, was beaten to death by the mob on Monday night, over alleged rumours that his family consumed and stored beef in their house.

The family has maintained that the meat stored in their fridge was mutton and not beef. Meanwhile, officials have sent the meat samples for a forensic test.