AGRA: Justice Rajinder Sachar, former chief justice of Delhi high court who headed a panel that recommended quota for Muslims in 2006, said in Mathura on Friday that more Hindus are involved in beef trade in the country than Muslims. As soon as he said this, in the context of the latest beef controversy at the three-day International conference on radical Islam held at a college, many of the teachers and participants stormed out of the venue.

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Scholars and delegates from India, Canada, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and other countries were present at the conference to discuss world security and radical Islam.

Justice Sachar, who was sharing the stage with many prominent Muslim scholars on the last day of the conference held at RC Degree College in Mathura, said that among all the beef traders in India, 95% are from the Hindu community.

"Almost 95% beef traders are Hindus. Still, a man was lynched in Dadri because he ate beef. This is the death of mankind and humanity. Eating habits have nothing to do with religion. Even I can eat beef," he said.

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In an oblique reference to BJP's Sardhana MLA Sangeet Som, who was recently in the news over allegations, which he denied later, about owning a beef trading company, the former Delhi HC judge said, "MPs and MLAs, too, own beef companies. Then why is only the common man being targeted by right-wing groups?"

No sooner had he said this than scholars and teachers started leaving the conference hall in protest. A few of them also switched off the fans and lights in the hall, demanding Sachar to stop his address. Later, he tried to pacify the audience by adding that he only meant to highlight the plight of Muslims who were being targeted unnecessarily due to the beef controversy.

Shiv Ram Bharadwaj, a teacher at a degree college in Mathura, who was present at the venue, told TOI, "The guests, scholars and intellectuals present at the auditorium got furious when Justice Sachar turned a 'pro-Muslim' topic into an 'anti-Hindu' one. We all have freedom of speech but one should carefully choose words while addressing a public gathering."

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Yaduraj Yadav, another college teacher who attended the conference, said Justice Sachar should not have made references to Hindus and their scriptures to drive home his point.