Newly elected MP from East Delhi Gautam Gambhir on Monday demanded strict action in a case of alleged assault of a Muslim man in Gurugram and said tolerance defines the idea of India.
Taking to micro-blogging site Twitter, Gambhir, who was elected on a BJP ticket, wrote, "It is deplorable. Exemplary action needed by Gurugram authorities. We are a secular nation where Javed Akhtar writes "O Palan Hare, Nirgun Aur Nyare" and Rakesh Om Mehra gave us song Arziyaan in Delhi 6."
After Gambhir's tweet received criticism from several BJP supporters, mostly accusing him of staying silent on the killing of BJP and RSS workers, the cricketer-turned-politician tweeted that his stand is for all such incidents.
"My thoughts on secularism emanate from honourable PM Mr Modi's mantra "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vishwas". I am not limiting myself to Gurugram incident alone, any oppression based on caste or religion is deplorable. Tolerance & inclusive growth is what idea of India is based on", he said.
A Muslim man was allegedly assaulted for wearing a traditional skull cap while he was returning after offering prayers at a mosque in Sadar Bazaar area in Gurugram on Saturday.
Mohammad Barkat Alam, hailing from Bihar, claimed that he was also asked to chant 'Jai Shri Ram' and 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' by five to six men who cornered him and hurled abuses.
He alleged that the men abused him saying nobody was allowed to wear a skull cap in the area and one of them slapped him.
Police have registered an FIR in this connection and begun an investigation. They said a CCTV footage from the area showed there was a scuffle between two men.
Assistant Commissioner of Police of Gurugram's Sadar area Rajeev Yadav said, "We got information about a quarrel in the area around 10 pm. A CCTV footage showed there was a scuffle between two men. We have registered an FIR in this regard and started an investigation."
( With inputs from ANI )