Dadri killing result of "misunderstanding" : Sharma

Terming as "painful" the alleged killing of a man in Dadri town by a mob following rumours of his family's involvement in cow slaughter, Union Minister Mahesh Sharma today said the incident happened due to "misunderstanding" and trashed suggestions that it was done to polarise the village ahead of panchayat polls.
Sharma, Minister of State for Tourism and BJP MP from Noida, said he was in touch with the police and has also organised a meeting between the two rival groups in the village, where tension prevailed after the incident on Monday night.
"It's a painful incident. Both the so-called groups belong to same village and are living there for years together. Nobody should take law into his hand," Sharma said on the sidelines of a tourism function here.

Asked about allegations that the incident was an attempt to polarise the society ahead of panchayat elections in that area, he said,"This incident was like action and reaction and not because of any organised plan. Misunderstanding was the main reason for this....I do not think it was done in a planned way."
"There was some confusion. There were a lot of events (incidents) going on...And not only cow slaughtering but of animal theft and animal slaughtering going on in that area. In that confusion, there was misunderstanding about the animal killing and the event was a result of that," he said.

He also appealed for calm.

"I am in touch with the people there and also with the police over the situation. We have also organised a meeting between both the groups in the village to maintain peace in the area," he said.
Massive security has been deployed in a village in Dadri town in Uttar Pradesh after a 50-year-old man was allegedly beaten to death and his son injured by a 200-strong mob following a rumour that his family was involved in cow slaughter. His son Danish was critically injured and is undergoing treatment at a hospital.
Some reports said trouble erupted following a rumour that the victim had consumed beef, but there was no official confirmation. Cow slaughter and consumption of beef are banned in the state.