Swamy condemns PDP MP Muzaffar Baig's lynching remark

Condemning People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader Muzaffar Hussain Baig's recent remark over lynching, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy on Sunday questioned if the former is accusing the government of these incidents.

Baig drew wrath from various political parties after he warned that the killings of Muslims in the name of cows and buffaloes should be stopped otherwise there would be another partition in India.

Speaking to ANI, Swamy said, "What is the use of this warning when he could not stop anything in Kashmir despite being the former deputy chief minister of the valley. Today, he is talking as if he is discussing Pakistan propaganda. What is the basis for all this?."

"Is he accusing the government of doing these things? He should not be a coward. He should rather have said openly. We should condemn such kinds of statements that spoil the atmosphere," Swamy added.

While addressing a gathering in Srinagar on Saturday, Baig had said, "The killings of Muslims in the name of cows and buffaloes should be stopped otherwise the outcome will not be good. There has already been a partition in 1947."

Baig was reacting to various incidents of mob lynching and killings in the name of cow vigilantism.

On a related note on July 21, a 28-year-old man Akbar Khan was allegedly beaten to death in Rajasthan's Alwar district by an agitated mob on suspicion of cow smuggling. He was taking some cows to his village through a forest near Lalawandi area when the locals thrashed him brutally.

The incidents of mob lynching have been on a rise in the country. As per data compiled by the Ministry of Home Affairs, 45 persons were killed in 40 cases of mob lynching across nine states between 2014 and March 3, 2018.

The Supreme Court on July 17 asked the Centre to enact a law to deal with incidents of lynching and take action on mob violence.