PM: Jharkhand lynching pained me

New Delhi, June 26

Breaking his silence on the Jharkhand lynching, PM Narendra Modi today said it had pained him and the guilty must be punished, but stressed that all kinds of violence, whether in Jharkhand, West Bengal or Kerala, should be treated in the same manner and the law should take its course.

Addressing the Rajya Sabha, he also spoke on the death of over 130 children from Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in Bihar, describing it as a matter of “shame”. Modi, who drew flak from the Opposition over his “silence” on the lynching of a Muslim youth in BJP-ruled Jharkhand, said: “Security of every citizen is our duty... The lynching has pained me. The guilty should get the severest punishment, but the entire state has been pronounced guilty, which is not right... Is this fair? None of us have the right to insult the state.” —TNS