NEW DELHI: The country doesn’t need a new law to deal with lynching, Union Minority Affairs Minister and senior BJP leader, told this newspaper. Naqvi said that existing laws were good enough to deal with cases of lynching. The statement comes at a time when demands have been made by the Muslim community and other quarters of India to tackle rising numbers of lynchings.
Naqvi, who is the Muslim face of BJP, said, “In the last five years, there has been no major communal riot in the country like Bhagalpur, Bhiwandi, Maliyana and Meerut. Unfortunately, some incidents of lynching took place but most incidents have been criminal incidents. They should not be looked at from a communal angle.”
The minister added that the Centre ensured immediate and strict action in all such cases and state governments were issued directions to stop these crimes.
When asked if the country needs new law or penal sections to stop lynching, Naqvi said, “The government has been discussing what actions need to be taken to crush such offences. However, there are enough criminal laws in the country and they are effective. There is no need for a new law.”
On July 23 last year, after several incidents of lynching were reported across India, the Centre announced that a Group of Ministers will submit its recommendations to PM Narendra Modi.