Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi Tuesday termed the lynching of a 24-year-old man in Jharkhand a "heinous crime" and said "Jai Shri Ram" can be chanted by embracing people and not by throttling them.

Naqvi made the remarks on the sidelines of a training programme for Haj deputationists and called for stern action against those involved in such incidents.

Tabrez Ansari was attacked by a mob, which accused him of theft and allegedly forced him to chant "Jai Shri Ram" and "Jai Hanuman" in Jharkhand's Saraikela Kharsawan district.

"Jai Shri Ram can be chanted by embracing people and not after throttling them. Such incidents cannot be justified. We have committed that we won't let the destructive agenda dominate the development agenda," Naqvi said.

"People who are involved in such incidents have only one motive -- to spoil the positive atmosphere created by the government. These are isolated cases and we are completely against them," he said, adding that stern action should be taken against people who commit such heinous crimes.

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

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