Mohammad Akhlaq was lynched over rumours that the deceased & his family had consumed beef , Prima facie it seems that meat found in Dadri lynching victim’s house belongs to goat progeny. Samples have been sent to the forensic laboratory in Mathura for the final diagnosis.
Lucknow : Four days after the police filed a charge sheet in the case of lynching of Mohammad Akhlaq in Dadri near Greater Noida, a report by a Uttar Pradesh government veterinary doctor has surfaced claiming that it was mutton and not beef that was kept in the refrigerator of the deceased. Akhlaq (50), a resident of Bisahada village in Dadri, was thrashed to death and his 22-year old son Danish critically injured on the night of September 28 by a mob livid over rumours that the deceased and his family had consumed beef. The report by a doctor in the district veterinary department said that the meat found in Akhlaq’s house was mutton (most probably goat meat), and not beef. However, results of a further examination by the Mathura-based State Forensic Laboratory were still awaited for a more exact identification.
The veterinary officer in his report said, “Prima facie it seems that meat found in Dadri lynching victim’s house belongs to goat progeny.” Samples have been sent to the forensic laboratory in Mathura for the final diagnosis. The charge sheet in the case was filed in a magistrate’s court in Greater Noida last week and it named 19 persons, including Vishal Rana, son of a local BJP leader. The 250-page charge sheet was based on the statement given by Akhlaq’s daughter Shaista, who is also a witness in the case. So far 17 persons have been arrested in connection with the incident. Incidentally, the charge sheet makes no mention of the word “beef.” Even the Uttar Pradesh Government report, submitted to the Government of India on October 5, made no mention of beef.
The incident had sparked nationwide outrage with artists, writers and others airing their protest by returning their awards. It had also led to the issue of so-called “intolerance” changing the national political discourse and was considered one of the factors that led to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s defeat in the Bihar state Assembly election held a little later. The police investigation had looked at all angles, especially to figure out if it was part of a planned action as a result of conflict between communities. The FIR in the case had been lodged under IPC sections 147 (Punishment for rioting), 148 (Rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), 302 (murder), 307 (Attempt to murder), 458 (house-trespass or house-breaking), 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace).
