New Delhi: Union Minister of Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Tuesday said that “Jai Shri Ram” can be chanted by embracing people and not by strangling them, while referring to the lynching incident in Jharkhand where a 24-year-old man died after he was thrashed by mob. He 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 in Jahrkhand’s Saraikela Kharsawan district was attacked by a mob, which accused him of theft and allegedly forced him to chant "Jai Shri Ram" and "Jai Hanuman". “You cannot force anyone to say Jai Shri Ram by strangling but by hugging him,” Naqvi said while terming the incident “unfortunate.” “Such incidents cannot be justified,” Naqvi said. "We are completely dedicated to our agenda of development and there is no place for any destructive agenda”, he added.

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The Minister accused "mischievous people" of indulging in such violence only to tarnish the government's image. They will face the law, he added. "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. 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.