Hapur lynching: SC notice on petition seeking probe under officer from outside UP

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh Police on a petition filed by the son of Qasim—victim in Hapur lynching case—seeking a direction to set up an SIT to probe the case under an officer from another state.

A man lynched by residents of Bacheda village in Hapur, Uttar Pradesh, over suspicion of cow slaughter being dragged in the presence of police personnel in June 2018.

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, February 11

The Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh Police on a petition filed by the son of Qasim—victim in Hapur lynching case—seeking a direction to set up an SIT to probe the case under an officer from another state.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi said the matter will be taken up with other pending petitions relating to the matter.

The incident occurred on June 18—a day after SC issued guidelines to check lynchings—when one of the survivors—65-year-old Samaydeen was with 45-year-old meat trader Qasim Qureishi. An alleged mob of “gau-rakshaks” attacked them for allegedly killing a cow. Video-recording of the incident showed that both Qureishi and the petitioner were beaten up and the petitioner’s beard was pulled. Qureishi died in the incident.

A three-judge Bench headed by the then CJI Dipak Misra asked Inspector General of Police (IGP), Meerut Range, to file a report on the issue in two weeks.

It had ordered the IGP to arrange recording of statements of the three petitioners under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code before a Judicial Magistrate.

The Bench had also directed the Superintendent of Police concerned to provide security to the injured survivors—now witnesses in the case—after senior counsel KV Viswanathan submitted that it was necessary to instill a sense of security in them. It had refused to allow the accused to intervene in the case.

The Supreme Court had on August 13 last year issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh Government on a petition filed by three survivors of Hapur lynching case seeking a court-monitored probe by a special investigation team (SIT) into the incident.

The police FIR named one Yudhishthir Singh Sisodiabas the main accused. For people were arrested but Sisodiat off on bail a few days later. He had claimed he was not present at the spot. But a sting conducted by a TV news channel showed him talking about the crime.