Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria's reaction to Pehlu Khan's death by cow vigilantes was that it was 'alright' that some people who were illegally transporting animals were caught.

Rajasthan's Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria, reacting to Pehlu Khan being beaten to death by gau rakshaks, said that it was "alright" that some people who were illegally transporting animals were caught but added, "no one has the right to take the law into their own hands".

Police will take appropriate action against those who took law into their own hands, Kataria added. "Police asked the people transporting cows to show legal papers, but they did not show it to them," he added.

However, this isn't the first time the minister has put his foot in his mouth. According to The Times of India, last month, the home minister's statement about the alleged gang-rape of a minor in Bikaner had led to the National Commission for Women issuing him a notice.

On Saturday, 15 people were allegedly illegally transporting 36 cows in six pick up vans. They were on their way towards Haryana from Jaipur when vigilantes intercepted two of their vehicles in Behror on the Jaipur-Delhi national highway.

Pehlu Khan, his sons Aarif (22) and Irshad (25) were in the first van, while two more persons Ajmat (28) and Sharif (24) were in the second. All of them were thrashed and their vans damaged.

According to DNA, the minister described the cow vigilantes as Gau Bhakts (cow protectors) and blamed the victims. "The cow protectors have done a good job by protecting cows from smuggling. But they have violated the law by beating people brutally," he said.

Meanwhile, Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday assured the Lok Sabha that the Centre would ensure that justice prevails in this case.

Singh's response came after Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge raised the issue during Zero Hour, demanding action against the culprits.

"The state government has taken cognisance of the matter. FIR has been registered and some arrests have been made in the case. Centre would try that justice would prevail," Singh said.

With inputs from agencies