Terming the thrashing of JNU student leader Kanahaiya Kumar and journalists by lawyers inside a court as "an attack on India's democratic credentials", National Conference patron Farooq Abdullah today sought immediate police action against the perpetrators.
"The attack by those who call themselves 'nationalists' is an eye opener for all the right-thinking individuals in the country. An atmosphere is being created where innocent people are being hounded and labelled anti-nationals.
"Attack on journalists is a physical manifestation of such an attitude and, if not checked, can ricochet into a major controversy. Besides, it can have serious repercussions on India's global image," Abdullah, a former Union Minister, said in a statement here.
He said the need of the hour is to stop the bad press which can be done only when "security administration puts its foot down, zeroes in on the attackers and accordingly charge sheets them."
Describing the attack on Kumar and journalists as a "blot" on democratic principles of the country, Abdullah said if someone has an issue, he must approach the court.
"Violence can never be an alternative. We have judiciary in this country and that is the best place where an argument or difference of opinion can be put forth. Taking law into our hands is wrong and therefore should not be encouraged at all," he said.
A precedent should be made out of this incident so that people think twice before doing anything untoward like this, he added.
On the JNU episode and the subsequent police action, the NC leader said, "I do not understand why this issue was not handled in a proper way. It was an internal issue at JNU and should have been handled by the university Vice Chancellor. Unfortunately, that did not happen and now it has become a big issue."
Earlier, addressing a deputation of Youth National Conference office bearers, Abdullah said autonomy is the lifeline of the party and it is up to the them to make people understand what the party stands for.
"Whether it is an issue related to Article 370, Naya Kashmir document or the relevance of our state flag, it is necessary that a correct picture is presented before those who do not know about such special provisions," the former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister said.
