Indian prime minister Narendra Modi has condemned the murder of a Muslim man over rumours he ate beef, in his first response to an incident that has sparked concern about growing religious intolerance.
Many among India’s majority Hindu community regard cows as holy, but beef is widely eaten by Hindus in parts of the south, as well as those of lower castes and minority Muslims and Christians.
Modi’s government wants a nationwide ban on cow slaughter and the beef trade, which is run mostly by Muslims.
Since the villager was beaten to death two weeks ago over claims he butchered a cow, politicians of Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, including some ministers, have made statements seemingly in defence of the Hindu mob that killed him.
In comments published on Wednesday, Modi, a self-proclaimed Hindu nationalist who has faced criticism for remaining silent about several incidents deemed anti-Muslim, said the incident was ‘sad’ and ‘unwelcome’.
‘The BJP has never supported such incidents,’ Modi told the Bengali-language newspaper Anandabazar Patrika. ‘The opposition accuses the BJP of communal politics every time, but actually they are the ones indulging in it.’
Modi’s comments come amid concerns that he is failing to rein in hardline Hindu nationalist supporters. More than 20 writers have returned awards in the last week in protest against his silence over the killing of the Muslim man and the murder of a secular scholar.
Many among India’s majority Hindu community regard cows as holy, but beef is widely eaten by Hindus in parts of the south, as well as those of lower castes and minority Muslims and Christians.
Modi’s government wants a nationwide ban on cow slaughter and the beef trade, which is run mostly by Muslims.
Since the villager was beaten to death two weeks ago over claims he butchered a cow, politicians of Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, including some ministers, have made statements seemingly in defence of the Hindu mob that killed him.
In comments published on Wednesday, Modi, a self-proclaimed Hindu nationalist who has faced criticism for remaining silent about several incidents deemed anti-Muslim, said the incident was ‘sad’ and ‘unwelcome’.
‘The BJP has never supported such incidents,’ Modi told the Bengali-language newspaper Anandabazar Patrika. ‘The opposition accuses the BJP of communal politics every time, but actually they are the ones indulging in it.’
Modi’s comments come amid concerns that he is failing to rein in hardline Hindu nationalist supporters. More than 20 writers have returned awards in the last week in protest against his silence over the killing of the Muslim man and the murder of a secular scholar.
Source: New Age