New Delhi, July 21: Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Saturday sought to play down the incidents of mob lynching, saying most these cases are fabricated and fake. Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi made the statement while responding to Samajwadi Party MP Azam Khan's statement that mob lynching is a punishment for Muslims for not migrating to Pakistan in 1947.

Reacting to Khan's statement, Naqvi told a news channel that most cases of mob lynching are "concocted and fake". Khan had said: "If Muslims went to Pakistan, they would not get this punishment. Why our ancestors did not go to Pakistan? They regarded India as their own country. Now they will be punished and they will have to endure." Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala slammed Naqvi for downplaying mob lynchings. Mob Lynching: Government Says It Has No Specific Data on Mob Violence, Puts Onus on States For Law And Order.

"I respect Naqvi Ji but does he even know what is happening with minority in this country? BJP doesn't feel anything for the minorities. Everyone in the ruling party is trying to shield the culprits," Surjewala said. While the central government says it has no specific data on mob lynchings, news portal Quint reported as many as 98 deaths across India since 2015. After Madhya Pradesh And UP, Rajasthan Government to Enact Law Against Mob Lynching.

In July last year, the Supreme Court had urged Parliament to consider enacting a new law to tackle incidents of lynching and cow vigilantism. Describing mob lynching as "horrendous acts of mobocracy", the apex court had warned that such incidents may rise like a "Typhon-like monster" across the country. However, the Parliament has so far not enacted any law in this regard.

The apex court had ordered the appointment of nodal police officers in all districts, efficient patrolling in areas where there was a possibility of such incidents, and the completion of trial in these cases within six months.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 21, 2019 10:37 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).