Jharkhand Lynching: Pained by incident, says PM Modi; asks if it is fair to 'insult' entire state

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday broke his silence on the brutal lynching of a Muslim man in Jharkhand saying that it has pained him and perpetrators should be given maximum punishment while he questioned Opposition's motive behind labelling the state a "hub of lynching."

"The lynching in Jharkhand has pained me. The perpetrators should be given maximum punishment. But some people in the Rajya Sabha are calling Jharkhand a hub of lynching. Is this fair? Why are they insulting a state? None of us has the right to insult Jharkhand," Modi said in his reply to the motion of thanks to the President's address in Rajya Sabha.

Violence whether in Jharkhand, West Bengal or Kerala should be dealt with equally, Modi said. 

24-year-old Tabrez Ansari was thrashed by a mob for alleged theft on June 18 and a video had emerged which purportedly showed that he was forced to chant "Jai Shri Ram" and "Jai Hanuman" in Jharkhand's Saraikela Kharsawan district. He was declared "brought dead" by doctors at the Tata Main Hospital in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, Saturday.

The opposition has slammed the BJP government in Jharkhand and Chief Minister Raghubar Das and has highlighted the number of lynchings that have taken place in the state since the saffron party came to power. 

The Opposition attacked the BJP saying whether this was the "new India" promised by Modi during the elections and accused the ruling party of creating a sense of hatred against Muslims in the society. 

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday termed the alleged lynching of Ansari as a "blot on humanity" and said the "silence" of powerful voices in the BJP-ruled central and state governments over the incident is shocking.

Tabrez's family has alleged that the attack was communal and that he was made to chant 'Jai Shri Ram' and 'Jai Hanuman'. An FIR has been registered and further investigation is underway.

Eleven people have been arrested in connection with Ansari's death and a special investigation team (SIT) has been set up to look into the matter.