Shiv Sena hails PM Modi for warning cow vigilantes, says lynching in the name of 'gau raksha' against Hindutva

File pic - Representational image

New Delhi: Lambasting the recent lynching incidents in the name of cow protection, Shiv Sena on Tuesday said that these incidents were against Hindutva. In party's mouthpiece 'Saamana',  Sena urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to come up with a national policy on beef.

"Those who were safeguarding cows were Hindus till yesterday. Today, they have become murderers. The issue of beef is related to eating habits, business and employment. Hence, there should be a national policy over the issue," the editorial in Saamana reads. 

However, Shiv Sena which is often at loggerheads with NDA, hailed PM for condemning the attacks last week. "We welcome the stand taken by the prime minister over the issue. Nobody has the right to take law in his hands in the name of cow protection. We thank him for clearly defining Hindutva. He should now come up with a national policy on beef to ease tension."

In a tough message against cow vigilantism and mob lynching, Prime Minsiter Modi last week had said killing people on the pretext of protecting cows is not acceptable and warned that no one has the right to take law into his hands.

Under attack over mobs killing those suspected of cow slaughter or eating beef, BJP chief Amit Shah recently termed such incidents as "serious", but claimed more of these happened under the previous governments than the three years of NDA rule.

Recently, a series of mob lynchings have been reported from several states, including BJP-ruled Jharkhand, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. 

A few days back, a minor boy Junaid Khan, was stabbed to death by a group of men on a train when he was returning home to Ballabhgarh in Haryana after shopping for Eid. His assailants termed Junaid, his brother and friends as "beef eaters".

In Jharkhand's Ramgarh, a Muslim meat trader was beaten to death last week by cow vigilantes who alleged he was carrying beef in his vehicle. Nityanand Mahto, a local BJP leader is among those arrested in connection with the incident.

(With inputs from PTI)