THE DADRI LYNCHING
September 28, 2015
Dadri, Uttar Pradesh
Mohammad Akhlaq, 52, and his son Danish were attacked by a village mob with sticks and bricks accusing Akhlaq’s family of slaughtering a cow and consuming beef. This was one of the landmark cases as it was the first where a Muslim was lynched on the basis of suspicion of eating beef. Though Danish survived, but his father was thrashed till he died.
Investigation
Police filed a charge sheet within three months of the incident.
In its 250 page charge sheet, police named 17 accused, one of whom was the son of an influential local BJP member Sanjay Rana. The charges that were invoked were under penal code sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 323 (causing voluntary hurt), 506 (criminal intimidation), 427 (causing damage to property), 458 (trespass), 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapons) and 149 (unlawful assembly).
However, the charge sheet did not attract sections on criminal conspiracy, the punishment for which is same as murder.
Judgement
No trial or verdict yet. The case is still on the stage of framing of charges.
Present Status
A total of 18 people have been arrested, six are out on bail — three of them for being juveniles, and three others who claimed that their names were not mentioned in the first FIR.
Recently, six other accused have filed a petition in the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge pleading that they should be discharged. Their case is expected to be heard on August 9.
THE UDHAMPUR ATTACK
October 11, 2015
Jammu-Srinagar Highway, Udhampur
Zahid Rasool Bhat, the 16-year-old conductor of a truck that was en route to Kashmir, was attacked by a mob with petrol bombs on the Jammu-Srinagar Highway. The truck, on its way to Jammu was standing still near Shiv Nagar area as traffic was stopped in view of the day-long strike called by various Hindu outfits after three carcasses of cows were found.
Bhat suffered severe burn injuries following the attack. He was brought to Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital, where he succumbed to burn injuries on the intervening night of October 17 and 18.
Investigation
A total of 15 people were booked under sections 307, 147, 148, 149, 332, 336, 337 and 427 of the IPC and under the Explosives Act. Of these, nine were charge sheeted. One of them was a minor at the time of the crime and the remaining eight have been lodged in jail without bail. But charge sheet hasn’t been filed yet.
Judgement
No verdict or trial has been conducted.
Present Status
All the accused are in jail.
THE PEHLU KHAN LYNCHING
April 1, 2017
Alwar, Rajasthan
Pehlu Khan, a Muslim dairy farmer, was accused of smuggling cattle and was lynched by mob on the national highway in Rajasthan’s Alwar district.
Investigation
The investigating officer in the case has been changed four times.
The police arrested 7 accused in the case, three of which were arrested on the day of the incident. The ones arrested are currently lodged in the local jail and charge sheet has been filed against all of them. Pehlu Khan’s family is anxious about the trial at Behrod. News18 has learnt that the family would be moving the Jaipur court to transfer the case to either Alwar or Jaipur as “examination of witnesses will be a problem in Behrod as there is a threat of evidence being tampered with.”
Judgement
No trial as yet. The case is still pending and would be heard at Behror Additional Sessions Court.
Present Status
The state police have now handed over the investigation into the case to the Criminal Investigation Department — Crime Branch (CBI-CID).
THE BULANDSHAHR LYNCHING
May 2, 2017
Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh
45-year-old Ghulam Mohammed was beaten to death by a group of 10 men, allegedly belonging to UP CM Yogi Adityanath’s outfit Hindu Yuva Vahini. The victim was thrashed after his relative allegedly eloped with a Hindu girl a few days before the incident.
Hindu Yuva Vahini termed this a case of “Love Jihad”. The victim’s family squarely blamed HYV members for the murder.
Investigation
Bulandshahar police arrested three people involved in the crime. Talking to journalists, SSP Muniraj said, “What is the main reason behind the incident, we will get to know after the investigation. If someone has taken the law into their own hands, they will not be spared by the police. Strict action will be taken against those elements.”
PK Tiwari, SP (Rural) Bulandshahr, told News 18, “Nine people were arrested and charged with section 302 (murder), 147 (rioting) and 148 (Rioting, armed with deadly weapon) of the IPC.”
Judgement
No verdict as the case awaits trial. Charge sheet was filed on May 18 and they have been sent to the Bulandshahr district jail.
Present Status
The case is now pending at the district court.
THE ZAFAR HUSSAIN LYNCHING
June 16, 2017
Pratapgarh, Rajasthan
CPI (ML) activist Zafar Hussain was lynched on June 16 by local municipal officials when he tried to stop them from photographing women who were defecating in the open.
Investigation
The police booked Nagar Parishad Commissioner Ashok Jain and municipal employees Kamal Harijan, Ritesh Harijan and Manish Harijan under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code. Despite an FIR being filed, none of the accused has been arrested.
According to Pratapgarh SP Shivraj Meena, the postmortem report of the deceased has revealed that Hussain died of cardio-respiratory failure and that there were no signs of physical injury.
“Four people were booked under Section 302 of the IPC after the FIR was filed but none of them have been arrested so far. The investigation is currently going on and we cannot arrest them till the investigation is complete,” Meena said.
Judgement
Trial hasn’t started yet
THE LYNCHING OF JUNAID KHAN
June 22, 2017
Train from Delhi to Ballabgarh
Ballabgarh teen Junaid Khan was lynched and three others attacked when they were on their way home from Delhi after shopping for Eid during Ramzan. Junaid was stabbed to death and the others injured. The four men were thrown off the train when it pulled into a station at Asavati, barely 20 kilometers from Delhi.
Investigation
One of the accused admitted on camera that he was told by his friends to attack the Muslim boys because they ate beef. The six accused, including a Delhi government employee, were arrested in connection with the case and sent to judicial custody. The last arrest was of the main accused in the case — Naresh Kumar, a fugitive who was hiding in Maharashtra’s Dhule to avoid arrest.
Judgement
Investigation is still pending and charge sheet is yet to be filed in the case.
Present Status
Naresh kumar, the main accused who was arrested, has now admitted that his blood stained shirt which would have led the police to establish his guilt was burnt in an attempt to destroy evidence. All the arrested ones are lodged in lock up.
THE LYNCHING OF AYUB PANDITH
June 22, 2017
Nowhatta, Srinagar
57-year-old J&K Deputy Superintendent of Police Mohammed Ayub Pandit was lynched by a mob inside Srinagar’s Jamia Mosque. The mob behind his lynching was reportedly chanting the name of secessionist militant Zakir Musa while assaulting him.
According to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, Pandith had asked his men to go home for Shab-e-Qadr prayers and volunteered to report for duty.
Investigation
Based on video footage of the incident, local police identified 12-15 men behind the attack. Six of them have been arrested. J&K Police have recently claimed that one Sajad Ahmad Gilkar, of Nowhatta, Srinagar, recently arrested, had played a key role in the officer’s lynching.
The accused have been booked. A charge sheet has not been filed so far. The accused have been booked under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code, among other strict sections.
Judgement
Trial hasn’t started yet.
All the six accused are currently in jail.
THE RAMGARH LYNCHING
June 29, 2017
Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand
A 40-year-old meat trader, Md Allimuddin Ansari, was lynched by a 100 strong mob on a suspicion that he was carrying beef in his vehicle. Pictures which later emerged showed his bloodied body, meat pieces on the road and his burning vehicle.
Investigation
11 people have so far been arrested in the case, including BJP’s district media in-charge and the main accused were both linked to the local gau raksha samiti.
The police also claim to have nabbed the man believed to be following the victim on the day of his killing and informing about his movement and joined in the assault that led to the meat trader’s death. Police have also found that the meat being carried by Ansari was beef.
Judgement
Charge sheet hasn’t been filed in the case
Present Status
All the accused are currently lodged in local jail.
Legal status of the cases
Click on the pictures