Islamic body Jamaat-e-Islami Hind to provide legal assistance to kin of lynching victims

New Delhi: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind is planning to provide legal assistance to families of lynching victims, the Islamic body said on Saturday. Mob lynching incidents can be best tackled through building public opinion and put “pressure” on the government through it to curb such incidents, a JIH statement said quoting its president Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Umri. [caption id=“attachment_3805227” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] ‘Not in my name’ protests were launched across India to counter the spate in lynching incidents. PTI[/caption] “We support public initiatives against communalism and for putting an end to mob lynching. No government can ignore popular and widespread public opinion,” Umri said at a monthly press conference at the organisation’s headquarters here. JIH secretary general Muhammad Salim Engineer said the organisation has identified certain states where mob lynching incidents have taken place. A plan is being prepared to tackle the issue. “We will be meeting the heads of different religions in these states along with social organisations to promote communal harmony,” he said. Formation of a ‘Sadbhavna Manch’ and activation of the legal cell of JIH for aiding victims of mob lynchings and their families will be part of the initiative, Engineer added. Incidents of lynching and attacks on members of the minority community by cow vigilantes, resulting in some deaths, have been reported from different states of the country in recent months. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, attacked by the Opposition over his silence on lynchings by cow vigilantes, had warned in June that killing in the name of cow protection would not be tolerated. “Killing people in the name of ‘gau bhakti’ (cow worship) is not acceptable,” he had said. Umri said although the prime minister has condemned mob lynchings, the ground reality has not changed much. He demanded that the Centre and states take stern measures to check such incidents.