Beef party: J&K MLA Engineer Rashid's face painted black, two arrested

New Delhi: Independent Jammu and Kashmir MLA Sheikh Abdul Rashid's face was painted black on Monday here by a handful of activists allegedly belonging to a right-wing organisation.

The MLA's face was smeared with paint, ink and mobil oil for hosting a beef party in Srinagar earlier this month.

Today's attack occurred when Rashid was holding a press conference at the Delhi Press Club.

As he finished the press conference, Rashid, who is also known as 'Engineer Rashid', was held at the gate of the Press Club by some TV journalists for one-to-one interviews 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.

Deepak Sharma (30) and Devendra Upadhyay (33) were detained immediately from the spot, by the police and whisked away to Parliament Street Police station.

They were later booked under sections 341 and 355 of IPC and arrested, DCP, New Delhi, Jatin Narwal said, adding that the two were members of Hindu Sena.

"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 after the attack, as per PTI.

Rashid was thrashed sometime back by BJP MLAs inside the J&K Assembly on October 9 over the beef party he had hosted.

Hindu Sena leader Vishnu Gupta had later claimed responsibility for the attack. 

Rashid also said today, “What has happened to (Sudheendra) Kulkarni has happened to me. The world can see where India stands. You used to say Pakistan is being talibanized but this happens in India.”

Rashid went on to 'salute' Pakistan's founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

“We believed in the India of Mahatma Gandhi not of Togadia and Hindu Mahasabha. I salute Jinnah that he created a separate Pakistan because he knew that they will not let Muslims live in India,” he said.

“Mr Modi should say sorry to the nation,” he added.

Today's incident came after Rashid had made comments at the press conference about the beef party organised by him.

"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," Rashid had explained to reporters during the press conference when he was asked about his violating the sentiments of the people.

He demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi apologise for the Udhampur incident.

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 the Mufti Sayeed Government was "threatening, abusing and warning" their family members from speaking to the media.

 Zahid's brother Mohammad Younus, who was also present in the presser along with Ashraf and Rashid, said his family was being threatened by the police and administration there.

Later, talking to reporters while sitting on dharna outside Jammu and Kashmir House in Chankyapuri, Rashid said, "it's ironical that the growing intolerance is being ignored by the government of the day".

Insisting that he should be allowed to meet the Prime Minister at his residence, Rashid said, "I want to show him the blackened face of democracy while his government is in power".

Rashid was prevented by Delhi Police to march towards the Prime Minister's residence which is barely 500 metres away from the place where he sat on dharna.

After lot of requests by Delhi Police, Rashid called off at 7 PM his dharna after three hours.

(With PTI inputs)