Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly decried violence in the name of cow protection, BJP ally Shiv Sena too has spoken out against incidents of lynching in the name of cow.

The Sena said said lynching people in the name of cow protection is against Hindutva and urged PM Modi to come up with a national policy on beef.

The Maharashtra-focused party's comments were published in its mouthpiece 'Saamana' today and come after a number of a incidents of lynching over either alleged transport of cow for slaughter or beef consumption in parts of India.

The incidents, also reported from several Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states including Jharkhand, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, have promoted protests, most notably the #NotInMyName rallies that took place in several cities across the country.

Commenting in an editorial in 'Saamana' today, the Shiv Sena said, "The issue of beef is related to eating habits, business and employment. Hence, there should be a national policy over the issue." "Those who were safeguarding cows were Hindus till yesterday. Today, they have become murderers."

Shiv Sena welcomed the prime minister's comments from last week, when a visible charged up Modi admonished the so-called 'gau rakshaks' and said that killing in the name of cow is not acceptable.

"We welcome the stand taken by the prime minister over the issue. Nobody has the right to take law in his hands in the name of cow protection. Lynching people is against the principles of Hindutva," the Sena said in its editorial.

"We thank him (Modi) for clearly defining Hindutva. He should now come up with a national policy on beef to ease tensions," the Sena said.

Previously, BJP chief Amit Shah and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh head Mohan Bhagwat have both hit out at cow vigilante violence. Bhagwat, while demanding a national law to ban cow slaughter, said killing someone in the name of cow protection is wrong.

Shah has struck a more subdued note. The BJP chief recently termed incidents of lynching as "serious", but claimed more of these happened under the previous governments than the three years of NDA rule.

Modi's comments last week followed the lynching of a teenager, Junaid Khan, who was stabbed to death by a group of men on a train when he was returning home to Ballabhgarh in Haryana after shopping for Eid. His assailants termed Junaid, his brother and friends as "beef eaters".

In Jharkhand's Ramgarh, a Muslim meat trader was beaten to death last week by cow vigilantes who alleged he was carrying beef in his vehicle. Nityanand Mahto, a local BJP leader is among those arrested in connection with the incident.

Earlier this year, a cattle farmer - Pehlu Khan - died after being attacked by so-called gau rakshaks who suspected him of illegally ferrying cattle for the purpose of slaughter in Rajasthan's Alwar.

In September 2015, Mohammad Akhlaq was beaten to death at Dadri in Uttar Pradesh over suspicion of storing and consuming beef. Modi had spoken up against cow-related violence even then, but did not explicitly mention the Dadri incident.

(With PTI inputs)

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