Two teens convicted in Pehlu Khan lynching case

Read | FIR against Pehlu Khan was a conspiracy: Ashok Gehlot

The development is significant as these are the first convictions in the case. In August last year, the court of the additional district judge number 1 in Alwar had acquitted all the six men who were accused of assaulting and murdering Khan and had given them the benefit of doubt. Back then the court had observed that the Rajasthan Police probe had “serious shortcomings”.

Since then the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government has filed an appeal against the Alwar court’s verdict in the Rajasthan High Court.

Before these two accused were found guilty on Thursday, no person has been convicted for the murder of Khan.

Wife of Pehlu Khan and one of his sons. (Express Photo)

The case against another minor accused is currently under trial in a juvenile court in Alwar.

“This conviction will bolster the arguments of the government in the appeal which is currently in the High Court,” said Major R P Singh, additional advocate general, Rajasthan.

Khan,55, his two sons and two companions were assaulted by self-styled cow vigilantes in Behror while transporting cattle on April 1, 2017, with a video of the assault going viral on the social media.

Khan had succumbed to his injuries two days later, with the event resulting in nationwide outrage and drawing sharp criticism for the then BJP government in Rajasthan led by Vasundhara Raje.

In 2017, the CID-CB of the Rajasthan Police had also closed the case against all the 6 men named by Khan before his death.

Chargesheets were filed against a total of 9 other accused including three minors on the basis of video footage and other evidence.

In August last year, the additional district judge in Alwar had acquitted the six men accused of murdering Khan — Vipin Yadav, Ravindra Kumar, Kaluram, Dayanand, Yogesh Kumar alias Dholia, and Bhim Rathi — who were charged under sections 147, 323, 341, 302, 308, 379 and 427 of the IPC.

Shortly after the verdict acquitting the 6 accused, the Congress government had constituted a special investigation team (SIT) to probe and identify lapses and irregularities in the investigation of the case.

After the SIT submitted its report on September 5 highlighting lacunas in various level of investigation, the Rajasthan government had appealed against the Alwar court’s verdict in the Rajasthan High Court.

Last year the Rajasthan High Court had also quashed a case of illegal transportation of cattle for slaughter against Khan, his two sons, and the owner of the pick-up truck in which they were travelling.