Even as the Meo Muslim community demanded his arrest for "conspiring" in the lynching of Rakbar Khan in Alwar a week ago, BJP MLA Gyan Dev Ahuja has said that cow smugglers should be arrested and tied to a tree, while offering help to those who have been arrested for Khan's murder.
The Indian Express quoted Ahuja as saying, "Thoda bahut isliye, pakda hai to do-chaar thappad mukka karke unko ped se baandh do, aur police ko suchana de do (If they [cow smugglers] have been caught, slap and punch them a couple of times, tie them to a tree and then call the cops)."
Ahuja reportedly made the comments after visiting the Lalanwadi village where Khan was killed and later clarified to the newspaper that he meant to tell people should not take the law in their own hands.
The report also quoted Ahuja as saying that he believed that the police had framed those who had been arrested in the case and even Rakbar had died from torture at the police station.
Ahuja's comments come a day after the Meo Muslim community demanded that Ahuja be arrested.
Ahuja had made similar comments earlier claiming, "I visited the village and held a meeting with the people at a temple in Lalawandi. The victim died due to dereliction of duty by the police. The three accused who have been arrested should be released now. I told the villagers that I would assist the families of those, who have been arrested, in fighting the legal battle."
A friend of the victim had earlier told the police that people in the mob that killed Khan had said that they were not scared of the police since Ahuja would protect them.
The MLA is with us, nobody can do anything to us. Put him ( Rakbar) on fire," Times of India had quoted an eyewitness telling the police.
Khan was killed and Aslam, who was accompanying him, was injured in the incident that took place when the two were transporting two cows to their village. The mob assumed that they were cow smugglers and beat them, killing Khan.