Black ink and engine oil: Hindu Sena members attack J&K MLA Engineer Rashid over beef

In the latest in the series of such acts by fringe Hindutva groups across the country, members of Hindu Sena attacked an independent MLA from Jammu & Kashmir, Engineer Rashid, at the Press Club of India in New Delhi and smeared black ink all over his face. The incident took place on Monday afternoon. Eye-witnesses claimed that while thrashing Rashid and throwing black ink and engine oil on him, the members of the outfit shouted, “Gau Mata Ki Jai” and said “it was a befitting punishment for hosting a beef party in Kashmir and again trying to do that in Delhi.” The lawmaker was addressing the media on the issue of death of one of the three persons attacked in Udhampur over beef rumours earlier this month. [caption id=“attachment_2474532” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Ink attack on J&K MLA Rashid. PTI[/caption] According to news channels, Vishnu Gupta-led Hindu Sena has claimed responsibility for the ink attack on the MLA. Two people allegedly involved in the attack have been detained by the police. After the incident, Rashid told reporters present at the Press Club, “This is Talibanization of India. It’s not only happening in Pakistan, but also in India. This is what they do to Kashmiris in Modi’s India.” He further claimed, “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. If the UP government can be held responsible for Dadri incident, the BJP is equally responsible for the Udhampur incident along with its ally PDP.” This is the second attack on Rashid after he hosted a party in Srinagar earlier this month on the lawns of his government residence where beef was served. The first attack was by BJP MLAs on 9 October inside the J&K Assembly. He was detained on 10 October with his supporters after he staged a sit-in demonstration at the entrance to the Assembly and accused Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed of deliberately sabotaging the anti-beef ban bill. However, Sayeed condemned Monday’s incident in Delhi and said “In a vibrant democracy like India, we need to have courage to respect dissent and provide space to different points of view. The spate of unpleasant incidents such as this is most disturbing.” But there are many within the BJP and beyond, who haven’t taken Rashid’s Srinagar party kindly. Ashwini Upadhyay, Delhi BJP spokesperson told Firstpost, “It’s unfortunate that the lawmaker himself doesn’t have any respect for the law of the nation, and he has broken it shamelessly. Some politicians for their vested interested and ulterior motives resort to such acts like Rashid did by publicly hosting a beef party. This act of his will end the faith of the common man in our democratic system. By hosting a beef party, the MLA has also violated the J&K Representation Act, which clearly lays down certain codes of conduct for the state’s lawmakers.” “Personal Muslim law has nowhere mentioned about consuming beef. In fact, in many places, it has prohibited eating of beef. Moreover, there’s a court’s ban order on the sale of beef in J&K, though a temporary stay has been granted, but that doesn’t absolve the MLA from his act. If Rashid had to do it, he should have done it at home or at a private space, and not in a public space. By doing so, he has not only hurt the Hindu sentiments, but that of the Muslims as well,” added Upadhyay. Former J&K chief Omar Abdullah tweeted on the micro-blogging site Twitter: [Attack on Eng. Rashid is unacceptable & condemned in the strongest possible terms. This climate of intolerance & violence is very worrying.] BJP leader from J&K, Hina Bhat said, “I condemn what happened to Rashid. Such incidents are heart-breaking”. “Since, I haven’t seen the incident, I can’t comment right now,” said Congress leader Shakeel Ahmed. The party hosted by Rashid had angered the Hindus in J&K, including the Kashmiri pandits. Raj Nehru, secretary, All India Kashmiri Samaj, told Firstpost, “This irresponsible act of MLA Rashid has not only hurt the sentiments of Kashmiri pandits, but millions of Hindus in J&K and across India. It’s his deliberate attempt to polarise the people of the state. He used the party, where he had served beef as a tool to foment religious sentiments in Kashmir. It’s a tactic of majoritarian suppressing the minority in Kashmir. Under the garb of radicalization, the legislator tried to incite communal fire. He’s a trouble-maker and must be behind the bars for his criminal act of violating a court’s order.”