Video grab.
Ahmedabad: Gujarat state minister Harsh Sanghavi asked whether humanity is only for stone pelters but not for those who are hit by the stones. He was talking against the backdrop of Muslim men, accused of pelting stones at a Garba, getting lammed by police in public became a row and even caught international attention.
The flogging incident happened in the Kheda district of Gujarat earlier this week. Videos of some police personnel, not in uniform, thrashing men with a baton had surfaced on social media. A probe was initiated into the stone-pelting incident, PTI reported.
On Friday, police arrested five more people for their alleged involvement in the stone attack, and the total number of arrests reached 18. The criminal conspiracy angle of the case is also being investigated, according to a police officer.
On Friday, Minister Sanghavi, who was addressing an event in Ahmedabad, said, "I do not understand whether humanity is only for those pelting stones? Aren't there any human rights for those children and women who are hit by stones on their heads? Shouldn't they have human rights?"
The Gujarat Home Minister also asked whether Garba should not be performed in public places.
"Do those pelting stones have a religion? Shouldn't there be human rights for those hit by stones? Then why every time the issue of human rights raised in favour of those hurling stones? This is a point to be considered," he said.
The human rights organisation Amnesty International has called the incident "a serious human rights violation" and "utter disrespect towards the law".