While hearing the Moradabad mob lynching case, the Allahabad high court recently sought the state and the central governments’ replies on a petition moved by the victim’s brother seeking an SIT probe and ₹50 lakh compensation.
The petitioner Mohd Alam, the brother of the deceased Shahedeen Qureshi, has alleged that his brother was brutally murdered by a group of cow vigilantes in December last year on the mere suspicion of his involvement in cow slaughter.
Hearing the plea, a division bench comprising Justice Siddharth and Justice Ram Manohar Narayan Mishra issued notices to the centre, the UP DGP, as well as the Uttar Pradesh government and sought their responses within two weeks. The court passed the order on May 26.
The petitioner has raised his grievance in the petition that while the FIR should have been lodged by the police under Section 103(2) of the BNS (mob lynching), it was instead registered under Section 103(1) (Murder). He claimed that although the police state that the section was invoked based on his complaint but alleged that his signature was obtained under duress.
The petition alleges that the police are not impartial in the matter, but are attempting to shield the actual perpetrators. It further states that the inaction of police officials in taking preventive measures against communal violence and lynching constitutes a blatant violation of the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court in its judgment in Tehseen S. Poonawalla vs Union of India, which mandates specific preventive and remedial measures in cases of mob lynching.
{{/usCountry}}The petition alleges that the police are not impartial in the matter, but are attempting to shield the actual perpetrators. It further states that the inaction of police officials in taking preventive measures against communal violence and lynching constitutes a blatant violation of the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court in its judgment in Tehseen S. Poonawalla vs Union of India, which mandates specific preventive and remedial measures in cases of mob lynching.
{{/usCountry}}On December 29-30 night last year, Shahedeen and a few others were caught by a mob for allegedly slaughtering a cow for meat. While the others managed to flee, Shahedeen was brutally beaten by the mob for nearly an hour. He succumbed to his injuries the next day. Later, Moradabad police booked Shahedeen and his alleged accomplices under the Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act.