Muslim Khan issue: Minister Katheria wants compromise

Agra: A day after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) OBC cell’s national president S P Singh Baghel ruled out any compromise and demanded registration of the Gangster Act against Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Muslim Khan, accused of thrashing a vendor belonging to a backward class and forcing him to drink his urine, Union minister Ramshanker Katheria on Tuesday appeared to soften his stand and supported calls for a settlement of the matter through mediation.

In contrast to Baghel, who had ruled out the possibility of any compromise in the issue by dubbing the incident as a matter of “Hindu pride”, Katheria, who visited the victim’s residence in Etmadpur on Tuesday morning, said the incident should not be viewed as a “Hindu-Muslim” problem. “Forcing someone to drink urine is inhuman and humiliating and it goes beyond the realm of religion,” Katherai said adding that the accused should apologise for it.

When asked to comment on the demand of local residents that senior officials of the administration should visit the village and make Muslim Khan apologise for his act, Katheria said he had spoken to the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) and asked the official to send the superintendent of police (SP) and the district magistrate (DM) to talk to the two parties involved in the incident.

Notwithstanding Katheria’s statement, Baghel stuck to his stand and said should be no compromise on the matter and that strict action be taken against Khan. Though Baghel claimed that he did not want to join issues with Katheria on the matter, the former did take a jibe at the latter by saying that the minister had finally found time to visit the victim after a week of the incident.

Katheria’s comments came hours after Baghel raised stakes for the party by holding a protest meeting at Etmadpur and demanded stern action against the accused. Giving a communal twist to the incident, Baghel even said if the victim had been from a particular community, even chief minister Akhilesh Yadav would have come to Etmadpur to meet him. Baghel ruled out any compromise on the ground that it would against the “Hindu pride”.

BJP’s minister of state Rampratap Singh, who was also present at the meeting, said there would be no compromise and demanded that the SP leader be booked under the Gangster and Anti-Social Activities (prevention) Act.

Meanwhile, the police on Tuesday registered cases against Baghel and 34 other BJP activists for violating prohibitory orders (section 144) by holding a meeting in Etmadpur on Monday.
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