IAF steps in, wants to shift its man’s family

Tribune News Service

New Delhi/Lucknow, Oct 3

The UP police today claimed they had arrested two main suspects in the Dadri lynching case even as the Indian Air Force said it was looking at the possibility of moving the family to an Air Force area. The victim’s son, Corporal Mohammad Sartaj, is currently serving in the force.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi also visited the family in Dadri. Kejriwal later lashed out at political parties for “spreading poison” between Hindus and Muslims for vote-bank politics.

Sartaj’s father Mohammad Iqlakh (50) was beaten to death and his 22-year-old brother Danish critically injured by a mob that barged into their house on Monday night over rumours that the family had consumed beef at Dadri’s Bishada village in western Uttar Pradesh.

IAF chief Arup Raha, while replying to questions at his annual press conference ahead of Air Force Day, termed the lynching “unfortunate” and said senior officers were in touch with Corporal Sartaj and his family.

“It is unfortunate that a serving Air Force man’s family has been affected resulting in death in the family. We are already in touch.” 

“We are giving whatever protection is required by him. We are trying to move (them) to some Air Force area. We are with him and our people are there to assist the family,” he said.

“Writing to the state or Central government is superfluous because everybody has understood in the government that such things cannot be accepted. Adequate actions are being taken,” he said.

Sartaj is currently posted in Chennai and efforts are on to either move his family there or transfer him to another area with his family. Earlier, Kejriwal, who was initially stopped from entering the village by residents, accused political parties of spreading hatred among communities.

After meeting the family, the Aam Aadmi Party chief targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi by tweeting: “Many political leaders have visited Dadri. But PM is silent till now. People will be happy if PM also visited and reassured victims and villagers.”

Kejriwal, who questioned the local administration for restricting him from meeting the victim’s family at a time when other leaders, including AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi and Union Minister and Noida MP Mahesh Sharma, were permitted, came under sharp attack from several senior BJP and Congress leaders.

With two more arrests in the case, the total number of suspects behind bars has gone up to eight. While one of them has been identified as Shivam, the other, Vishal, is said to be the son of local BJP functionary Sanjay Rana. The victim’s family had alleged that Vishal forced the local temple priest to announce that a cow had been slaughtered and stored in their Bishada house.

UP’s Principal Secretary (Home) Debasish Panda said the accused would be booked under the National Security Act. Of the 10 accused in the case, the police have so far arrested eight and the location of another had been identified, he said. UP Governor Ram Naik today described the incident “heart-rending” and appealed to the people to maintain peace and cooperate with the government.