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The judgment of Surajpur court (UP), ordering police to lodge an FIR against Mohammad Akhlaq’s family members for alleged cow slaughter, sent shock waves across the country. The Quint has accessed a copy of the FIR which names seven members of Akhlaq’s family, including him. All seven are now charged under the Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act 1955.
Akhlaq’s son Danish, who was also beaten by the mob that killed Akhlaq, denies the accusations.
The court ordered the FIR on the basis of the application filed by Surajpal, a resident of Bisada village. The complainant, Surajpal, is a senior citizen of Bisada village who claims that Akhlaq confessed to cow slaughter. The six-page FIR narrates the events as Surajpal remembers them.
The FIR also mentions that Akhlaq was later lynched by the mob.
Interestingly, Surajpal acknowledges that he witnessed the mob assaulting Akhlaq and his family, even as he protests the innocence of the accused.
This begs the question; If Surajpal claims that the accused in Akhlaq’s murder are innocent, and he – a long-time village resident who likely knew the identities of his neighbours – witnessed the mob lynching him, then why hasn’t he named the real perpetrators?
Is it possible that he is simply protecting the accused?
In the FIR, Surajpal says that the villagers had ‘aastha’ in the calf, held it sacred, and regularly fed it food. Since it was the only calf in the village, he said, everybody knew it.
But what does it mean that the calf was being fed regularly? After all, would it make any sense to raise a calf in the village only to leave it to starve? Being a majority Hindu village, it’s reasonable enough to assume that the calf was revered, but would this excuse murder?
According to Surajpal, a few witnesses saw Akhlaq and his family slaughtering the calf.
Akhlaq’s family, however, denies these allegations.
Akhlaq’s family’s lawyer says that he will appeal to the District Court to revise its order to register the FIR. The UP police is likely to record Surajpal’s statement and then approach Akhlaq’s family members for their version of events.
The case of cow slaughter against Akhlaq’s family only stands if the meat in Akhlaq’s fridge was in fact found to be beef. There are two conflicting reports to this end. The first stated that the meat was mutton, not beef, and a subsequent report states that it was indeed beef. However, questions have been raised about the authenticity and reliability of this second report.
The FIR made by Surajpal seems to substantiate the cow slaughter case, but it may not be quite so straightforward.
Questions remain about the legitimacy of the cow slaughter claims, and Surajpal’s FIR seems to raise more doubts than it dispels.
Read The Quint’s coverage of the case:
The Dadri Truth: A Personal Grudge Twisted Into a Communal Killing
Exclusive: Akhlaq’s Family Pressurised to Drop Dadri Lynching Case
Dadri Lynching: It’s Beef, But Not From Akhlaq’s Fridge
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