Its Modi’s Not Gandhi’s India Any More: Er Rashid
New Delhi : Independent legislator from Kashmir and the family members of the Udhampur victims were subject to an ink and coal tar attack by extremist Hindu Sena activists in New Delhi on Monday.
The incident occurred shortly after MLA Engineer Rashid reached the main gate of Press Club of India after addressing reporters.
Popularly known as ‘Engineer Rashid’, he was holding a press conference at Press Club here along with relatives of the two truck drivers who were burnt by a mob at Udhampur in Jammu region on October nine. One of the victims–19-year-old Zahid– died at Safdurjung hospital yesterday morning.
After the culmination of press briefing as I was about to leave the main gate, some people smeared blue ink on my face. As the people accompanying me tried to wipe that out, we were attacked with coal tar from both sides. I feel sorry for the family members of Udhampur victims whose faces were also smeared with the coal tar, Rashid said.
Eyewitnesses said, as Rashid finished his press conference, he was held at the gate of the Press Club by some TV journalists for a one-to-one interview when some activists shouting slogans “gow mata ka apman, nahi sahega Hindustan (India will not tolerate any disrespect to cow)” pounced on him and painted him with black colour, mobil oil and blue ink, as per PTI.
Police have detained two men, identified as Deepak and Devendra Upadhyay, who had come armed with paint and ink bottles. The third man escaped.
Rashid expressed great anguish after the attack over the incident and described the attackers as mentally sick. “They are mentally sick. I want the whole world to see this how these people are trying to muzzle the voice of Kashmiris,” Rashid, said adding, 80,000 people have been killed in Kashmir. Throwing ink on Engineer Rashid will not solve any problem.
”This is what is happening in Modi’s India. This is not Gandhi’s India any more,” he said.
“We believed in the India of Mahatma Gandhi not of Togadia and Hindu Mahasabha. I salute (Muhammad Ali) Jinnah that he created a separate Pakistan because he knew that they will not let Muslims live in India, Rashid said.
Mr Modi should say sorry to the nation, MLA demanded.
Rashid was beaten up earlier inside State Assembly by BJP MLAs for hosting a beef party.
At the press conference Rashid talked about the beef party organised by him inside the MLA hostel in Srinagar: “I do not eat beef, mutton, or chicken but that was a form of protest to tell the authorities that do not interfere in anyone’s religion.”
The relatives of the two — Zahid and Showkat — who were sleeping in the truck when it was attacked by a mob with petrol bombs alleged that Mufti Sayeed Government was “threatening, abusing and warning” their family members from speaking to the media.
“Mufti Sayeed will have to pay for this. Is this democracy that India boasts about. Its worst,” Mohammed Ashraf, kin of Zahid, said after his face was also blackened.
Rashid To Protest Outside PMO
MLA Engineer Rashid Monday said he will sit on a protest outside the Prime Minister Narendra Modis residence at 7 Race Course in the capital.
Talking to reporters from New Delhi, Rasheed said that the condemnation by the chief minister of the incident was not enough and urged upon Mufti Mohammad Sayeed to immediately snap all ties with BJP by pulling out of the alliance government in the state. Those who beat me in Legislative Assembly in Srinagar are behind the smearing ink on me in Delhi. This proves that BJP wants to rule the country through goonda raj. It also proves that Kashmiri Muslims have no space in India to express their views, said angry Rashid.
The legislator said that he wants to remind Modi of Indias claims of being a democratic country, when even a press conference by an elected MLA is sabotaged, attacked and disturbed.
He said that through the protest he will send a message to Modi to control his RSS goons who have been let free after BJP took over the country.
CM condemns ink attack on Er Rashid
Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, has condemned the ink attack on J&K Legislator, Er. Rashid, at New Delhi today.
In a statement, the Chief Minister said that in a vibrant democracy like India, we need to have courage to respect dissent and provide space to different points of view. The spate in unpleasant incidents such as this is most dist
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