Ahmedabad, October 12: In the wake of the alleged rape of a 14-month old girl in Gujarat by a resident of north India, Congress MLA Geniben Thakor was caught on camera asking people to burn rape accused alive instead of handing over them to the police. A video of Geniben Thakor is going viral on social media in which the Congress legislator is seen making the controversial statement.

"In India, everyone has to pass through the process of law (to get justice). But, whenever such incidents happen, 50-150 persons should come together and burn him (rape accused) alive on the same day. Finish him, don't hand him over to police," Thakor, who represents Vav seat of Banaskantha district, is seen telling to a group of women in the viral video.

After facing flak, the woman legislator clarified that she was trying to calm the women as they were anguished over the rape of the 14-month old girl from Thakor community near Himmatnagar town of Sabarkantha district on September 28. The incident led to a series of attack on migrant workers in the state, forcing them to leave Gujarat.

"The video was shot inside my residence. That was not a public rally or a press conference. I said those words in order to pacify some 100 women visitors, who were upset due to the rape incident. There was no other intention," Thakor told news agency PTI.

Thakor is considered close to another Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor, who is in the eye of a storm after attacks on Hindi speaking migrants following the rape incident and arrest of a migrant worker from Bihar. The ruling BJP has blamed Alpesh Thakor and his outfit, Gujarat Kshatriya-Thakor Sena, for the outbreak of violence against migrant workers.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 12, 2018 03:42 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).