Uproar in RS as mob beats up women on railway station for carrying 'beef'

New Delhi: Opposition Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Congress on Wednesday created uproar in Rajya Sabha, protesting against beating up of two Muslim women in Madhya Pradesh in the name of cow protection.

No sooner had listed papers been laid on the table of the House, Mayawati (BSP) said after beating of dalit youths in Gujarat, 'Gau Raksha' (cow protection) groups beat up two women in Madhya Pradesh over suspicion of possessing beef.

The incident at the Mandsaur railway station occurred in presence of the police which remained a mute spectator, she alleged.

BJP raises 'Mahilaon ke samman mein,BJP maidan mein' slogan, yet in BJP ruled Madhya Pradesh women thrashed on beef rumours: Mayawati in RS

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BJP, on the one hand, talks of protecting the girl child and giving dignity and honour to women but on the other unleashes goons on them, she charged.

The incident in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh comes close on the heels of beating of four Dalit youth in party's bastion Gujarat, she said.

She asked Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi to respond to targeting of women of his community in the name of cow protection.

As she completed her submission, BSP members trooped into the Well of the House, shouting anti-government slogans. Congress members too joined them in the well.

"Mahila virodhi yeh sarkar nahi chalegi, nahi chalegi (This anti-women government will not be tolerated)", they shouted. "Dalit virodhi yeh sarkar nahi chalegi, nahi chalegi (this anti-Dalit government will not be tolerated)."

Anand Sharma (Cong) asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not responded to attacks on dalits in name of 'Gau Raksha'.

"He has done 'chai-pe-charcha' (talk over tea) and 'mann-ki-baat' (straight talk from heart) but why not on this issue," he asked.

Deputy Chairman P J Kurien said derailing Zero Hour, where 13 members have given notices, was not right and if members wanted a discussion on the subject, they should give notice.

"You go back to your seats, I will ask the government to respond," he said urging Mayawati and Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad to call back their members.

Azad said his Congress party was not principally against cow protection but was against targeting of dalits and Muslims in name of Gau Raksha.

"Let it be very clear. We are not against Gau Raksha. But in the garb of Gau Raksha, targeting dalits and Muslims is something we are against," he said.

Two women were slapped, kicked and abused by a crowd led by gau rakshaks at Mandsaur railway station in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday.

A phone video taken by one of the many spectators shows policemen making half-hearted attempts to control the raging mob, according to an NDTV report.

The spectators for their part did nothing to stop the mob from beating up the Muslim women, said the report.

The police had come to the railway station in Mandsaur to arrest the women after a tip-off that they were travelling with a large quantity of beef. However, before the arrests could happen, a mob reportedly attacked the women.

The police did not sufficiently attempt to stop the mob’s assault, said the report.
In the video taken by a witness, the women are cornered by a crowd that is heard screaming "Gau Mata Ki Jai". The women are punched and kicked until they fall to the ground.

The women were thrashed for nearly half an hour before the police took them away. Thirty kilograms of meat were recovered from them. However, investigations revealed the meat was of buffalo, not cows.

Nevertheless, the women have been charged because they did not have a permit to sell meat.

But no action has yet been taken against those who assaulted the women, or the policemen who watched without stopping the attack, said the report.