Dadri: Mob lynch Akhlaq over rumour.
2015-09-28
On 28 September, 2015, at around 10.30 pm, Akhlaq and his family were preparing to go to bed, when a feverish mob wielding sticks and other weapons stormed into his house and accused the family of slaughtering a cow and eating the same, reported the BBC. Akhlaq was lynched, his son Danish, 22, was brutally beaten up and some people also assaulted Danish's grandmother and molested her. The mob was reportedly acting on rumours that a calf had gone missing on 16 September and that its remains were found near Akhlaq's home, while Akhlaq was allegedly seen throwing a bag containing meat which villagers claimed was from the missing calf. A court on 14 July, 2016, ordered the registration of a case and further investigation against Akhlaq's family for alleged cow slaughter. Acting on the court order, police (on 15 July) lodged an FIR against the late Mohammad Akhlaq and six family members for alleged cow slaughter, while the family decided to challenge the FIR in the Allahabad High Court seeking directions for its quashing. On 26 August, the Allahabad High Court stayed the arrest of five family members of Akhlaq, while refusing to grant relief to Akhlaq's brother Jaan Mohammed, who was among the six people named in the FIR lodged against the family. Eighteen local youths, including three juveniles, were charged with murder and assault in the case of Akhlaq. The juveniles were granted bail in 2015 while the adults were granted bail by the high court subsequently.
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