Press Trust of India
Greater Noida, June 6: Nine months after the lynching of Mohammad Akhlaq at his home in Uttar Pradesh, the situation in Bisada village near Dadri became tense again Monday as locals held a protest meeting ignoring prohibitory orders demanding that an FIR be registered against the victim’s family for alleged cow slaughter.
The demand was made after a forensic report stated that the meat found at the scene of the attack on the night of September 28, 2015 was that of “cow or its progeny”. Akhlaq was killed after rumours that his family stored and ate beef at their house.
The villagers had originally planned to have a “mahapanchayat” to push for an FIR against Akhlaq’s family. The protest meeting was also attended by some local Shiv Sena members, according to the organisers.
The district magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar, NP Singh, has clamped Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code and issued prohibitory orders, banning gathering of five or more persons, after villagers in Bisada announced a panchayat would be held Monday. Additional security personnel have also been deployed in the village, officials said.
“The situation is under control,” said Singh, adding that he has appealed to the residents not to resort to violence. “Political leaders should not politicise the matter since it is sub judice,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sanjay Rana, the father of accused Vishal Rana, had threatened that a “mahapanchayat” will be held in the village as police have failed to register an FIR against Akhlaq’s family.
“A complaint was filed with police after the forensic report said the meat in the freezer at Akhlaq’s house was beef. No FIR has been filed yet in this regard,” he said.
The veterinary officer had said in the report that the meat sample was not beef, but meat of “goat’s progeny”. Yusuf Saifi, advocate for the victim’s family, said, “The meat piece was recovered from a nearby transformer and not from Akhlaq’s house. We will challenge the forensic report too in the court.”
Residents of Bisada village, including kin of the accused in the lynching case, met the Gautam Budh Nagar SSP Sunday to press their demand for registration of an FIR against Akhlaq’s family. BJP leader Vinay Katiyar supported the demand for an FIR.
