Dadri lynching: Akhlaq''s kin to move Allahabad HC against court-ordered FIR

Lucknow, July 26

Family of Mohammad Akhlaq Saifi — the man who was lynched by his neighbours in Bishahra in Dadri in September 2015 over rumours of him and his family having eaten beef — will move to the Allahabad High Court to seek a stay on a court order for an FIR against them for slaughtering a cow under the UP Cow Protection Act, 1955.

Asad Hayat, the family’s lawyer, said: “We have written to the administration for more investigations into the case as so many things have emerged that have not be inquired into: particularly the possibility that evidence was fabricated”.

 “Above all, the biggest issue is that they are making forensic lab report the basis of the case. We have to say that the report is not trustworthy, because the ‘maal' (meat) that was seized on the intervening night of September 28-29 and sent to Dadri and Mathura labs were not sealed after the recovery.”

“If you see the recovery, it was written that about 2 kg of meat was seized, but the Dadri lab's report speaks about 4-5 kg of meat. Who increased the quantity of the meat? This is proof that there is some conspiracy afoot”.

Hayat also accused government authorities in Noida of “carelessly” handling of the recovered meat.

Akhlaq's son Sartaj also questioned the authenticity of the meat sent for testing.

Sartaj said: “Where the meat was found; where it was sent, which meat was sent for forensic test, we are not concerned with these questions, because police found it outside. Who had kept it there and what was their motive is a subject of police investigations.”

“They are sending a report of something that was not recovered from our house. Whatever is the forensic report says, we don't have anything to do with it. If the report confirmed it as cow, why should we be blamed for that?”

Sartaj claimed foul play.

“It's baseless and a conspiracy against us. We are going to the Allahabad High Court so that the honourable court look into the matter in its entirety and give an unbiased decision,” Sartaj, who claims he was in Chennai at the time of the incident, said.

Akhlaq, 55, was beaten to death and his 22-year-old son, Danish, was assaulted by some people in Bishahra in Dadri last year when rumours spread in the village that the family had taken beef for Eid. — ANI