The family members of Mohammad Akhlaque, who was lynched by cow vigilantes at a village in Gautam Buddha Nagar a decade ago, are shocked by the Uttar Pradesh government’s application in court to drop all charges against the 19 accused.
Fifty-two-year-old Akhlaque and his son Danish were dragged out of their home by a mob at Bisada village in Dadri on September 28, 2015, on the suspicion of storing beef in their refrigerator and beaten with lathis, iron rods and bricks. Akhlaque was declared dead on arrival at a hospital, while his son had to undergo prolonged treatment.
The inquiry had revealed that there was no cow or buffalo meat in Akhlaque’s home.
In the application filed before the upper sessions court in Gautam Buddha Nagar, the state has flagged alleged inconsistencies in the statements of Akhlaque’s wife Iqraman Begum, their daughter Shaista and Danish and requested the withdrawal of prosecution under Section 321 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
The withdrawal request was moved last week by Bhag Singh, assistant district government counsel, Gautam Buddha Nagar, on the directions of the Yogi Adityanath government.
A letter from Brijesh Kumar Mishra, joint director (prosecution), directing Singh to proceed with the withdrawal has also been attached.
Iqraman told local reporters that she was always doubtful about the fate of the case.
“We live under constant threat and can’t go out without security. We couldn’t record our statement on many occasions because we didn’t have police security, which was supposed to be given to us. We were unable to depose in court on several occasions. Some people deliberately twisted our statements,” she said.
The state government has submitted in the court that inconsistent statements and weak witnesses have led to the case reaching a dead end, and there is no
substantial reason to continue with it. It pointed out that while Iqraman had named 10 people for Akhlaque’s murder, Shaista mentioned six. Danish, it said, added three more names later.
Danish had said he had added the names after talking to those who had witnessed the assault.
“It was not possible to know how many people were beating my husband and son when they were surrounded by a mob wielding lathis and other weapons,” Iqraman had said while supporting Danish’s decision.
The 19 accused, who are currently out on bail, were charged with killing Akhlaque and attempting to murder Danish. The other charges included intentional insult, voluntarily causing hurt and criminal intimidation. One of the accused is the son of a BJP leader.