Kultali mob violence: Venugopal demands probe, slams BJP-ruled states

Congress's KC Venugopal slammed BJP-ruled states as 'breeding grounds for hatred' after a man was killed by a mob in West Bengal's Kultali. Demanding a detailed probe, he called the incident a 'threat to the rule of law' and a shocking crime.

Congress general secretary KC Venugopal on Tuesday demanded a detailed investigation into the alleged mob violence incident in Kultali in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district, saying that states with BJP governments are becoming breeding grounds for "hatred and violence". He added that the alleged beating of a man from Keralam by the mob in Kultali's Sankijahan area was a "threat to the rule of law". He demanded a detailed investigation into the matter. The man was allegedly beaten up on suspicion of being a thief.

In a Facebook post, Venugopal recalled past instances of mob violence across the country. "Dadri, Palghar and Arang are wounds in the heart of this country. The scars inflicted by the mob under the shadow of the Sangh Parivar regime are still there. All the states that become BJP governments are becoming breeding grounds for hatred and violence. Bengal has also become the latest example of this," he said.

Congress demands probe, letters to Centre and state

Reacting to the Kultali incident, the senior Congress leader said that the mob took law into its hands and "brutally beat a man to death" only a month after the BJP formed a government in West Bengal. "What happened in Kultali in the South 24 Parganas district is an extremely shocking incident. Before even a month of the BJP government coming to power, a mob started taking the law into its own hands on the streets and brutally beat a man to death. The trend of mobs taking the law into their own hands is a serious threat to the rule of law. We need to prevent another human life from being lost due to mob trials. We have written to the Union Home Minister and Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, demanding a detailed investigation into this incident," Venugopal said.

'Governments create situation for mob violence'

He further held the concerned governments responsible for creating conditions that enable such incidents and called for strict legal action against those involved. "It is the governments that create the situation where mobs take the law into their own hands. Such criminals, who have no fear of the law and no regard for human life, should be punished according to the law. For this, at least this time, the central government should intervene," Venugopal added.

His remarks come after a Keralam man was killed in Kultali, West Bengal, on June 9, after locals mistakenly suspected him of theft due to a language barrier. (ANI)

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