NEW DELHI: Days after Union minister
Jayant Sinha felicitated eight people convicted of lynching, Congress chief
Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday supported a petition seeking withdrawal of Sinha's Harvard alumni status, saying that minister’s action “fills one with disgust”.
"If the sight of a highly educated MP and Central Minister, Jayant Sinha, garlanding and honouring criminals convicted of lynching an innocent man, fills you with disgust, click on the link and support this petition," Rahul tweeted as he provided a link to the Change.org petition.
Last week, the minister of state for civil aviation had stoked controversy after he was pictured felicitating eight convicts in the Ramgarh lynching case after they came out of prison on bail.
The petition — filed by a Prateek Kanwal, who is understood to be a Harvard alumni — urged the President of Harvard University to revoke Sinha's alumni status. In his petition, Kanwal says that the action of the minister has "shocked the nation" and "brought disrepute to our great institution".
Sinha's action had invited strong criticism from across the country.
Yesterday, former Mumbai police commissioner Julio Ribeiro, former chief information commissioner Wajahat Habibullah and 41 other retired bureaucrats have demanded that Union minister Jayant Sinha be sacked, saying his action shows "there is a licence to kill minorities".
They said Sinha felicitated the convicts as if they were "some revolutionaries in a freedom struggle".
(In this July 7 photograph, Sinha is seen with the lynching convicts at his residence after they were released on bail in Ramgarh, Jharkhand)
The Communist Party of India (CPI) on Monday urged President Ram Nath Kovind to drop Union ministers Jayant Sinha and Giriraj Singh from the cabinet, alleging that they acted against the spirit of Constitution by "challenging the dictates of Supreme Court".
In a statement, the Left party accused the ministers of supporting those accused of lynching.
On the same day of Sinha's controversial act, minister of state for micro, small and medium enterprises Giriraj Singh had paid a visit in jail to those accused of inciting communal violence.
"President must drop Jayant Sinha and Giriraj Singh from Union Cabinet, who were not only violating the solemn oath, but also challenging the dictates of the highest court of the country," the CPI said.
On Sunday, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal had slammed the BJP government saying that people have termed it as the "lynch-pujari".
"Eight accused convicted for lynching are garlanded by Jayant Sinha when granted bail. You got it wrong Modiji. They say your government has become: Lynch-Pujari," Sibal tweeted.
Meat trader Alimuddin Ansari was beaten to death on June 29 last year by a mob at the Bazaar Tand area under Ramgarh police station on suspicion that he was carrying beef in his car.
Expressing happiness over their release from jail after being granted bail on June 29 this year by the Jharkhand High Court, Sinha garlanded them and offered them sweets.
(With inputs from agencies)
