Modi says killing in name of gau raksha unacceptable, Rahul calls PM’s message ‘too little too late’

Meanwhile, at the AICC briefing today, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad dubbed Modi’s remarks as “yet another publicity stunt” which had “no meaning”. He said the remarks have come after “public pressure” in the wake of yesterday’s countrywide protests against lynchings.

PM Modi’s remarks come close on the heels of numerous murder and lynching incidents by self-styled cow vigilante groups over rumours of cow slaughter. The most recent was the murder of 15-year-old Junaid Khan by a group of people on a Mathura-bound train in Ballabhgarh in Haryana after an argument escalated over seats. Junaid, who was accompanied by his two brothers, was going back home after Eid shopping when he was mocked over his skull cap and referred to as a ‘beef-eater.’ Five people have been held so far in the incident.

This was not the first time that the Prime Minster had spoken against self-styled gau rakshaks. In August last year, he had vehemently condemned actions of cow vigilantes. “It makes me angry that people are running shops in the name of cow protection… Some people indulge in anti-social activities at night, and in the day masquerade as cow protectors,” PM Modi said. He also added saying people who wanted to serve cows should ensure that the animals do not eat plastic.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, demonstrations were carried out by citizens at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar under the banner of ‘Not In My Name’ as a sign of protest against the government’s silence over attacks on Dalits and minorities. People held banners saying ‘All lives matter’ and ‘Muslim lives matter.’