Dadri lynching: Murder was premeditated, says Asaduddin Owaisi

“This murder was premeditated. He has been killed in the name of religion. It is an attack on our community. It cannot be an accident. All of this is being propagated by the state and central governments,” Owaisi said.

The Hyderabad MP also questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence on the killing. “This mother has seen her son getting beaten to death in front of her. Where are his condolences?”

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Owaisi also slammed Union Minister Mahesh Sharma for describing the killing in the Dadri village as “an accident”. “He is the country’s Culture Minister. It is unfortunate that a minister who has taken an oath on the Constitution does not have the courage and intellectual honesty to condemn the incident unconditionally.”

Watch Video: Asaduddin Owaisi and Akhilesh Yadav React To Dadri Lynching

The All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief added, “He (Sharma) and his PM say ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikaas’, then such incidents happen. These words should be put into practice.” Training his guns on the Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh, Owaisi alleged the administration was “investigating a piece of meat and treating the victim as accused” instead of arresting the guilty.

Maintaining the attack was not on meat, Owaisi said Akhlaq was killed in the name of religion. “This is the thought which is against secularism, against the brotherhood of India. It sees Muslims with an eye of suspicion,” he said.

Akhlaq, 50, was beaten to death and his 22-year-old son Danish was critically injured by the mob which barged into their house Monday night. Danish is undergoing treatment in Noida for severe head injuries. According to police, the attack followed an announcement made during a meeting of villagers in the local temple, Bada Mandir, about alleged cow slaughter.