Indian lawmaker threatens to throw pork outside mosques in Kanpur

ISLAMABAD: A senior lawmaker from India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has sparked controversy after issuing a warning that pork pieces would be placed outside mosques in Kanpur if those responsible for killing cattle are not arrested within 48 hours.

BJP MLA Rahul Sonkar made the threat while visiting a police station following the discovery of the remains of around 100 cattle in a field near a Durga temple in Kanpur, according to local media reports.

“If the killers of the cattle are not caught within 48 hours, pork pieces will be found in front of mosques in Kanpur,” Sonkar was quoted as saying, addressing police officials during his visit.

The statement triggered outrage as pork is considered religiously forbidden by Muslims, and critics say such remarks could inflame communal tensions.

In a series of posts on social media platform X, the MLA said he was “deeply saddened” by the discovery of 40 to 50 cattle remains near Kutra Road in the Bilhore Municipality, which falls under his assembly constituency.

He claimed he had ordered officials to reach the site immediately and take the “strictest possible action” against those involved, as well as against administrative officers.

“Arrests must be made within 48 hours for this heinous crime,” Sonkar wrote. “If arrests are not made within 48 hours, we are sufficient to deal with the cow killers in Bilhore.”

The BJP legislator described cows as central to Hindu faith and culture, calling the killings “an attack on the soul of Hindu society,” and said people could no longer remain silent.

There was no immediate response from local police on the MLA’s threat, nor any confirmation on arrests at the time of filing this report.

Rights activists and opposition figures have repeatedly accused Hindu nationalist leaders in India of using inflammatory language that targets religious minorities, warning that such rhetoric risks provoking violence and undermining communal harmony.