Amid ‘new’ info, Akhlaq lawyer targets 3 accused

Following the release of the meat examination report from a forensic lab in Mathura, which stated it belonged to a cow or its progeny, a petition was filed in the Surajpur court on June 9 by Bisara resident Surajpal. It urged the court to direct the police to file an FIR against Akhlaq’s family on charges of cow slaughter and animal cruelty.

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“…The good thing is that in their application, they have said that they beat up Akhlaq. They have confessed to their crime. This has been disclosed in the petition filed under Section 156 (3) of the IPC. We will meet the SSP and submit an application to take action against these three people. Once we get a written copy of the order tomorrow, we will seek an appointment with the police,” said Saifi.

Narrating the turn of events on September 28 last year, the petition stated that around 8 pm, when Bisara residents Om Pal and Kanchhi saw Akhlaq throw some suspicious thing in a big black polythene bag close to the house of Om Prakash near a transformer, they raised an alarm. “After hearing the commotion, villagers, who had been searching for the calf, surrounded Akhlaq and caught him,” it added.

The petition claimed that Akhlaq told the crowd there was meat of a slaughtered animal in his refrigerator. It added that some people rushed to Akhlaq’s house and found meat and remains of an animal in a vessel, which they brought to the transformer where “a crowd was holding Akhlaq”. They told Akhlaq that the animal remains and meat in the vessel were not of a goat but the meat of a calf “which you have killed”. The petition claimed Akhlaq’s response to these allegations was that he had “made a huge mistake, forgive us”.

“After hearing this, the crowd got out of control. They started beating Akhlaq and raised a hue and cry…” read the petition, adding that police were informed.

Responding to these allegations, Akhlaq’s brother Jaan Mohammad said, “No meat was recovered by the police from the house. The police have said this. The meat has been picked up by the police from the streets. The accused claim they brought out meat from Akhlaq’s fridge…”

“…In their complaint, they say that two people saw Akhlaq bhai throwing a polythene bag on September 28, then he was beaten up. Till now, they were saying that they did not beat Akhlaq. Now, they are accepting it… All these things are being done to put pressure on us,” he added.