KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Syed Basharat Bukhari Thursday said that nobody has a right to interfere in religious affairs of others which has been guaranteed and protected under the Constitution.
“I am a Muslim and do practice what is allowed under Sharia including having beef, and nobody can stop me from doing so”, the Minister said in the Legislative Council. He said same holds true for other religions as well as the followers of other religions can eat and practice whatever is enshrined in their respective religions.
The Minister stated this while responding to the issue raised by the BJP MLCs regarding an incident that had earlier happened in the Legislative Assembly in relation to independent MLA, Er Rashid. Rashid faced a murderous assault by BJP men in lower house. He had organized a beef party on Wednesday evening at MLA hostel in Srinagar.
Bukhari said, “nobody has the right to hurt the religious sentiments of the people from any faith and in a secular country like India everybody has the constitutional right to practice and preach ones religion.”
The Minister while restraining the BJP MLCs from discussing the issue pertaining to a member not present in the House to defend himself said, “according to the Constitution of India the object of the fundamental right under Article 21 is to prevent encroachment upon personal liberty and deprivation of life, except according to procedure established by law.”
“Therefore any individual has a right to live his life according to his own wish and that stands true for having any food including beef, permitted in the individual’s religion,” he said.
He further said, “I not only condemn the incident that occurred in the lower house earlier this morning but am also is ashamed of the act of some legislators.”
