By IndiaTomorrow.net,New Delhi, 19 Oct 2015: Sheikh Abdul Rashid (popularly known as Engineer Rashid), an Independent legislator of Jammu and Kashmir, was assaulted and his face blackened by some Hindu hardliners at Press Club of India here Monday afternoon. He was addressing the press over the death of a Kashmiri youth.
“As he finished his press conference, he was held at the gate of the Press Club by some TV journalists for a one-to-one interview when some activists shouting slogans “gow mata ka apman, nahi sahega Hindustan (India will not tolerate any disrespect to cow)” pounced on him and painted him with black colour, mobil oil and blue ink,” said The Indian Express.
Engineer Rashid was accompanied by the family of Zahid Bhat who succumbed to petrol bomb injuries that he sustained last week in Udhampur when his truck was set ablaze over beef rumours.
“They are mentally sick. I want the whole world to see this how these people are trying to muzzle the voice of Kashmiris,” Rashid was quoted as saying after the attack. He was beaten by BJP MLAs in the Jammu and Kashmir state assembly last week for hosting a beef party.
On 12th Oct, eminent writer and columnist Sudheendra Kulkarni was also assaulted and his face blackened by some members of Shiv Sena in Mumbai for hosting a book launch event for former Pakistan minister Mahmoud Kasuri.
On 14th Oct, Noman Akhtar, a resident of Saharanpur district in Uttar Pradesh, who was allegedly smuggling cattle along with four others, was beaten to death at a village some 28 km from Nahan town, the district headquarters of Sirmaur in Himachal Pradesh.
On 28th Sep, Mohammad Akhlaq, 50, was lynched by a mob in Dadri area of Uttar Pradesh, following rumours that he ate and stored beef.
