Ink attack on J&K MLA for 'hosting beef party'

A day after his critical comments regarding the lynching of a Kashmiri truck driver for alleged cow killing, Independent lawmaker of Jammu and Kashmir Engineer Rashid was attacked with ink yesterday.

Rashid was at Delhi's Press Club in the afternoon -- accompanied by the family of the lynched man -- when three men set upon him and threw black ink on him.

According to news agencies, Vishnu Gupta-led Hindu Sena has claimed responsibility for the attack on Rashid.

The two persons detained for the attack -- Deepak and Dev Indra singh - claimed they were angry with Rashid for organising a beef party in Srinagar on October 7, sources said. The men have said that they do not belong to any political party.

The Independent lawmaker was thrashed by a group of his BJP colleagues earlier this month for hosting the beef party, which was in protest against the beef ban in the state. The party only signalled that "no law court or legislature can prevent the people from eating what they want," Rashid had said.

"What happened with Kulkarni, happened to me today," Rashid said, referring to the paint attack on columnist Sudheendra Kulkarni exactly a week ago by Shiv Sena workers for planning to host Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri's book launch.

"People talk of Talibanisation of Pakistan, look what is happening in India," Rashid said. "They are mentally ill. 80,000 people have died in Kashmir, putting ink on one Engineer Rashid will not change anything."