PM Modi Ends Silence, Says Killing Over ‘Gau Bhakti’ Unacceptable

He said that India was a land of non-violence and questioned why the populace was forgetting that.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing a rally during the centenary celebrations of the Sabarmati Ashram, said that killing people in the name of 'Gau Bhakti' is “not acceptable”.

Modi’s message comes a day after India saw nationwide #NotInMyName protests condemning the lynching of 16-year-old Junaid Khan and reacting to the recent wave of mob lynchings over the last few months.

Killing people in the name of ‘Gau Bhakti’ (cow worship) not acceptable. This is not something Mahatma Gandhi would approve of.

PM Narendra Modi

‘Land of Non-Violence’

He said that India is a land of non-violence and questioned why we are forgetting it.

We are a land of non-violence. We are the land of Mahatma Gandhi and Vinobha Bhave. Why are we forgetting it? 

PM Narendra Modi

Also Read: In Junaid’s Khandawli Village, Muslims’ Anger is Shrouded in Fear

He added that violence will not solve any issue and that no one can take law into their own hands.

Not Fully Convinced: Junaid’s Brother

Junaid Khan was stabbed to death and two of his brothers severely injured following an altercation on a Delhi-Mathura train on 23 June.

Reacting to Modi’s statement, Junaid’s brother said that while the statement was welcome, the family was “not fully convinced”.

We welcome the PM’s statement, but we are not fully convinced unless such incidents stop.

Junaid’s brother to News18

Hundreds of people from Delhi joined the protest on 28 June, called "Not In My Name", held six days after the 17-year-old Junaid was killed by a mob on board a Mathura-bound train.

Simultaneous protests were held in several other cities, and are also slated to be held elsewhere in the world, the organisers said.

Modi is on a two-day visit to Gujarat to inaugurate the centenary celebrations of the Sabarmati Ashram and also attend various events scheduled in Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Modasa and Gandhinagar.

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