Human rights only for terrorists, jawans' lives don't matter, asks Union Minister Harsh Vardhan

Amid controversy over "encounter" killing of eight alleged SIMI terrorists by Madhya Pradesh Police, Union Minister Harsh Vardhan on Tuesday took a dig at opposition parties and a section of intelligentsia saying "human rights are only for terrorists" while the lives of soldiers don't matter.

"For Afzal, Yakub, Ishrat, Burhan, Batla (House encounter) they'll cry foul and chatter. Human Rights are for terrorists only, lives of soldiers don't matter," Harsh Vardhan, Minister for Science and Technology, tweeted.

He was apparently referring to a certain section of media and intelligentsia.

Following the "encounter" killing of alleged SIMI terrorists yesterday, several political parties demanded a probe into the matter.

Vardhan also posted a collage comprising media reports on the executions of Parliament attacks convict Afzal Guru, 1993 Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memom, and killings of Ishrat Jahan and Burhan Wani.