Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has admitted that recent crimes, including those by cow vigilantes, against minorities in the state show Rajasthan in a bad light, but stressed that firm action will be taken against those behind the violence. "The law of the land prevails in Rajasthan, and the government will ensure the culprits are brought to book," she said.


In April, 'gau rakshaks' or cow vigilantes lynched a 55- year-old cattle trader, Pehlu Khan, in Alwar and injured four of his companions. Khan later succumbed to injuries.


A month later, the desert state hit the headlines again when a video -- showing Sikh men allegedly being thrashed by villagers in Ajmer -- surfaced. "Rajasthan cannot be singled out. Such incidents are happening across India. But this government will not tolerate such crimes as it shows the state in a bad light," Raje told PTI in an interaction.


She said the administration acted "swiftly" and the perpetrators were arrested in the Pehlu Khan case. The chief minister, who is due to complete her term next year, said, "We do not discriminate among people on any lines. In less than a week, the accused in the honour killing of a Kerala engineer were arrested and a thorough inquiry was also ordered into the Ajmer incident." In a suspected case of honour killing, 28-year-old Amit Nair, a civil engineer, was shot dead last week allegedly by his in-laws here for marrying a Rajasthani woman. "