‘We Never Killed a Cow, My Mother Still Cries,’ Says Akhlaq’s Son

In an exclusive interview, Akhlaq’s son Danish recounts the fateful night and tells us how his family is coping.

23-year-old Danish wants to work in a government job.

For the first time since his father Mohammad Akhlaq was lynched by a mob in Bisada village in Dadri, his son Danish narrates what happened on that traumatic night to The Quint. In an exclusive interview, he refutes the allegations of cow slaughter made against his family.

On 10 August, The Quint’s investigative report on the cow slaughter case against Akhlaq’s family revealed that the FIR was fabricated at the behest of a few villagers including relatives of the arrested in the murder case. Reacting it to it, he says that it is a conspiracy by a few villagers to harass his family and to save those who have been arrested.

23-year-old Danish, who was injured in the mob attack, is the only eyewitness who saw the killers of his father. Ever since the incident, he is staying in Delhi with his family, still in a state of trauma.

Here is what he told us:

According to the complainant Surajpal, who alleges that your family killed a calf, all those who has been arrested are innocent. What do you have to say?

Whatever I saw with my eyes, I said in my statement to the police. Those 19 people killed my father and injured me. All of them are now arrested by the police.

What happened on the fateful night of 28 September? 

Villagers are lying. We never killed the cow. I came back home around 9.45 pm that night after finishing namaaz at the masjid. The moment my family and I finished dinner around 10.15pm, we heard the announcement from the temple.

We couldn’t understand what had happened. Within two minutes, they reached my house to attack us.

If we had killed a cow, we would have left the village. We know well the sentiments of our neighbours in the village. I am part of the fourth generation of my family to live in Bisada. We would have never done such a thing.

How many people entered your house on the day of incident?

I was in a room upstairs. Suddenly, I heard a few people abusing my father. When I went down, I saw that a few villagers had entered my house and were beating my father. They ransacked my home. I quickly locked the ladies of my house in the room upstairs and when I tried to protect my father, I was beaten up.

Chaupal in Bisada village. (Spy cam Photo: The Quint)

Did these 19 people enter your house first and the others came later?

I saw these 19 people before Rohit hit me with a baton on my eyes. After that I fainted. I don’t know what happened. My father never confessed to them that he killed a cow.

Do you know Vishal Rana?

I know him very well. He is Sanjay Rana’s son, who was a BJP party worker. He was leading the other men who entered my house. Behind him was Shivam (who has been arrested too).

Was Sanjay Rana present in the group of people who barged into your house and attacked you and your family?

No, he wasn’t there. I saw only young boys entering my house.

Do you who is Prem Singh, the one who claimed that he saw you and your family killing a calf?

Prem Singh stays close to my house. And he is indeed related to multiple boys who had been arrested.

Relatives of Mohammad Akhlaq mourn after he was killed by a mob in Dadri, UP. (Photo: Reuters)

Did you have any personal grudges with the villagers?

I never had any fight or bickering with any of the villagers. I never abused anyone in my life. My father too was a simple person.

Then why was your family targeted?

I don’t know who conspired against my family. If we had killed a cow, we would have left the village. It is ridiculous to say that my father threw the animal skin in a polythene bag. We never killed a calf or a cow.

What are you planning to do in the future?

I want to get a government job and for that I am preparing for the UPSC exams. Before the incident I was preparing for this exam. Now I have to study all over again. Since now I am physically better, I am ready to give my best and my goal is to achieve the highest post in a government job.

Do you want to go back to your Bisada village?

I never spoke to anyone in the village after the incident. I don’t want to go back to my village. But yes, it hurts when I feel that I cannot go back to the village where I spent my childhood. Whenever my mother and sister recall the night, tears roll down their cheeks. We haven’t yet overcome the shock.

Read more of The Quint’s coverage:

Dadri Lynching: FIR Against Akhlaq’s Family a Conspiracy?
The Dadri Truth: A Personal Grudge Twisted Into a Communal Killing
Exclusive: Dadri Was a Communal Conspiracy, Says Akhlaq’s Son
Exclusive: Akhlaq’s Family Pressurised to Drop Dadri Lynching Case
Dadri Lynching: Strangely, the Temple Priest Is Not a Witness
Dadri Lynching: Half-Truths More Dangerous Than Lies
Dadri Lynching: Akhlaq Confessed to Killing Calf, Says Complainant
Dadri Lynching Case: It’s Beef, But Not From Akhlaq’s Fridge
Dadri Lynching: More Planned Than Spontaneous?
Gau Hamari Mata Hai: Investigating Akhlaq’s Murder in Dadri