Hyderabad, Oct 1 Strongly condemning the killing of a man by a mob in Uttar Pradesh over rumours of cow slaughter, MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday said he wondered if India would become a banana republic and mobocracy replace democracy.

\"Attempts made by \'bhakts\' of the Sangh Parivar to convert India into a Hindu nation will weaken the country. Democracy will become mobocracy,\" the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) president told reporters here.

Pointing out that the lynched man\'s son was serving in the Indian Air Force, the Hyderabad MP wondered what message the Sangh Parivar was giving out. \"What do they want to do with our country,\" he asked.

\"Will our democracy become a banana republic. Assuming that one eats beef - though in this case it was proved it was not beef - will a mob make an announcement from a temple and kill him? What for are the laws, police and courts. Shut them down,\" he said.

A mob beat to death 50-year-old Akhlaq and critically injured his 21-year-old son Danish in Dadri village in Greater Noida on Monday night following rumours that his family consumed beef.

Owaisi criticized union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma for allegedly dubbing the incident in his constituency as \"misunderstanding\". \"It was not misunderstanding but a deliberate act to take (human) life,\" he said.

The MIM MP claimed the local BJP leaders maintained that the lynched man deserved it. \"They say if a cow is slaughtered, this will be the punishment. Who are they to say this,\" asked the MIM leader.

Owaisi dubbed the Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh as \"incompetent\", which \"is sitting silently and doing nothing\".

\"The government announced Rs.10 lakh compensation for the bereaved family but what action is it taking against the people who killed him,\" he asked.

AAP condemns lynching of man in Greater Noida

Condemning the killing of a man over rumours of consuming beef in a Greater Noida village, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday appealed to the prime minister to take strict action against those involved in the incident.

The party also demanded sacking of Minister of State for Culture and Tourism Mahesh Sharma for his comments on the incident.

\"Killing a man just on the rumours of eating beef is not only a heinous crime but also an attempt to shatter unity of the nation. We strongly condemn this act,\" AAP leader Ashutosh said at a press conference here.

Sharma had earlier told the media that the \"incident should not be given political colour\" and that it took place due to some \"misunderstandings\".

\"Mahesh Sharma\'s statement over the incident is shameful. We (AAP) demand the prime minister sack him from the cabinet,\" Ashutosh said, hitting out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

\"Such a gruesome incident took place only a few km away from the national capital where the prime minister of the country lives and works,\" he said.

\"The prime minister must take cognisance of this serious crime and take strict action against those involved in the incident. Action should also be taken against the ministers or leaders who are interfering in the investigation,\" he added.

He also said he would meet Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Governor Ram Naik over this incident and discuss the \"deteriorating\" law and order situation in the state.

On Monday midnight, 50-year-old Afzal, a resident of Bisara village in Greater Noida was allegedly dragged from his house and lynched for sacrificing a cow.

Will India become banana republic, asks Owaisi