Alwar lynching victim’s uncle threatens suicide with family
As the accused in the lynching of dairy farmer Pehlu Khan roam free, the victim’s uncle, Hussain Khan, on Monday threatened to commit suicide with his entire family if “justice” eludes them for long.
The 55-year-old dairy farmer from Nuh in Haryana was grievously assaulted by self-styled cow vigilantes, who accused him of being a cattle smuggler, near Behror in Rajasthan on the DelhiAlwar highway on April 1. He succumbed to his injuries on April 3. More than two weeks after the incident, police have failed to trace the six absconding accused, infuriating the bereaved family, who staged a protest in Jaipur along with other members of their community.
“My nephew was beaten mercilessly to death, even though he had the documents to prove he legally purchased the cattle. The government, instead of arresting the accused, is trying to protect them. If we don’t get justice soon, I, along with all my family members, will commit suicide,” Hussain said on the sidelines of an agitation at the police commissionerate in Jaipur.
Hussain and other members of his community from Jaisinghpur village of Haryana’s Mewat district were in Rajasthan’s capital for the protest organised by People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) against the lynching.
They want a court-monitored inquiry into the incident and an immediate arrest of the main culprits.
Alwar superintendent of police Rahul Prakash said they were raiding various places to nab the six absconders named in the FIR, who are on the run since April 5.
“We want to detain them for interrogation,” Prakash said, adding the accused would be arrested only if police find substantial evidence against them during questioning.
The community, meanwhile, threatened a massive agitation if the administration did not take adequate measures to safeguard the interest of bovine owners.
“Almost every household in Mewat has cows. Tomorrow these vigilantes could attack us, saying we don’t have proper documents. So we plan to take out a massive rally and surrender our cows to the district administration at the collectorate,” said Maulana Hanif, a Mewat resident. They also alleged that Pehlu Khan did not receive proper medical treatment at a private hospital in Alwar, where he died.
“Our repeated plea to shift the fatally injured to a better hospital fell on deaf ears,” said a villager.