A year on, Dadri lynching accused yet to be charged

BISADA (GREATER NOIDA): Twelve months back, the quiet village of Bisada in Dadri tehsil of Greater Noida, nearly 50 km from Delhi, hit the headlines of virtually every newspaper and TV channel.

A Muslim man was lynched over allegations of slaughtering a cow, revered as a holy animal by Hindus, and storing its meat for consumption. The incident triggered nationwide outrage over intolerance with several prominent personalities returning national award as a mark of protest.

A year later, HT revisits the fateful night when 55-year-old Mohammad Ikhlaq was lynched and his son Danish was critically injured in a mob attack.

On the evening of September 28, two young men, Vishal and his cousin Shivam, allegedly found remains of an animal, and claimed it was of a cow. They checked with other villagers and somebody told them that the remains in polythene bag was dumped by Ikhlaq a day earlier. The duo went to a nearby temple and made an announcement, accusing Ikhlaq of slaughtering a cow.

Recalling the horrific night, Ikhlaq’s daughter Shaista said: “A large mob gathered outside our house. My father was on the upper floor from where he asked why had they come. The crowd barged into our house,” Shaista said. She said the mob was carrying sticks and other ‘weapons’.

“Father ran for cover and hid in a room. The mob broke opened the door. When my brother Danish came to defend him, they grabbed both of them, dragged them outside the house and started thrashing them,” SEPT 28, 2015: A mob attacked Mohammad Ikhlaq’s home over allegations of slaughtering a cow, storing meat for consumption SEPT 29: Ikhlaq succumbs to injuries, his son Danish, 21, survives with a fractured skull. Police deployed at the village. Six of the accused arrested

SEPT 30: UP govt orders magisterial enquiry. Compensation granted to the kin of deceased DEC 24: Chargesheet against 15 persons, followed by additional chargesheet against three more MAY 27, 2016: First bail in the case was granted to a juvenile accused by the Allahabad HC

MAY 31, 2016: Forensic report of Mathura lab confirms the meat, which was allegedly recovered from Ikhlaq’s residence,

Shaista said. When she, her mother and grandmother tried to intervene, the mob pushed them into a room.

Danish fell on the ground, and the mob left him thinking he was dead. They, however, kept thrashing Ikhlaq. She said the mob took out a bowl of flesh from their fridge, and claimed it was cow meat.

An FIR was filed against 19 accused, including three juveniles. One of the accused, Sonu Sisodiya, was found present somewhere else at the time of the incident and was let off. The rest were nabbed within a month.

Samples of the meat were sent to a local veterinarian and then to a forensic lab in Mathura. The veterinarian said the meat looked like that “belonging to a goat”.

This report triggered a controversy. Nearly 10 months later, a report from the Mathura forensic ‘belongs to a cow or its progeny’

JUNE 6: Villagers hold panchayat defying prohibitory orders to give police an ultimatum of 20 days for registering a case of cow slaughter against Ikhlaq’s kin JUNE 26: Hearing on plea seeking FIR against Ikhlaq’s kin deferred to July 6

JULY 14: Court asks police to register FIR against Ikhlaq and six of his kin for cow slaughter AUG 8: Argument on Framing of charges deferred to Aug 31 SEP 6: Third juvenile accused got bail

SEP 23: Argument of framing of charges deferred to October 28, one of the accused files bail plea. laboratory termed the meat as belonging to a “cow or its progeny”. Following this, families of the accused demanded an FIR against Ikhlaq and his family. The residents threatened a mahapanchayat of 144 villages of Rajputs if the FIR is not registered.

On July 15, a local court ordered an FIR against Ikhlaq and six of his kin. Last month, the Allahabad HC put a stay on the arrest of five of the family members, except Ikhlaq’s brother Jaan Mohammad.

“Justice should be served equally. Police should arrest Jaan Mohammad as he was involved in slaughtering a cow,” said Sanjay Rana, father of accused Vishal.

Three of the juvenile accused are out on bail and charges against all 18 are yet to be framed. The next date of hearing on framing of charges in the case is on October 28.