Junaid Khan's friend asks PM to stop preaching, start acting

Kozhikode: Mohammad Azharuddin, the friend of 16-year old Junaid Khan who was killed by cow vigilantes in Haryana last month, has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to stop preaching and act. 

“The mere words of the PM would not bring any change. He should intervene seriously and tell the local Sangh leaders to stop targeting Muslims,” Mr Azharuddin said at the IUML protest meet on the beach here Sunday.

“Planned attacks are being carried out against the minorities. People following different beliefs cannot live peacefully in the country now. Politics must come up to loudly assert that these are wrong,” he said. 

"If the statement of PM against killings over cow had come earlier, Junaid would have been alive." Though Junaid’s brother Mohammad Hashim came before the microphone, he returned unable to speak. 

In his inaugural address, IUML state president Hyderali Shihab Thangal asserted the need for the unity of secular forces against the oppression of minorities. 

“IUML will take the lead in the fight against the fascist forces. We are going through a terrible situation. Secular parties should join the broad platform and address the urgent situation,” he said. 

Mr Hashim who visited the Thangal in Malappuram in the morning had sought legal help to fight the case. IUML leaders P.K. Kunhalikutty MP, E.T. Mohammad Basheer MP, P.V Abdul Wahab MP, M.K. Muneer MLA and others spoke.