The meat recovered from the Dadri lynching victim Mohammad Akhlaq’s refrigerator is the meat of a ‘cow or its progeny’ according to a new forensic report issued by a Mathura Forensics Lab, reports NDTV.
The reports contradicts earlier reports by Uttar Pradesh Veterinary Department that the meat was that of a goat.
Speaking to News18 on Wednesday, the accused’s father has said that the family will file a police complaint against Akhlaq’s family for cow slaughter and for consuming beef.
50-year-old Mohammad Akhlaq was attacked by a crowd on 28 April 2015 after rumours that he and his family had slaughtered and consumed beef, which is illegal in Uttar Pradesh.
Akhlaq’s brother Jaan Mohammed spoke to NDTV about the new revelation saying that people were politicising the issue. He said that the family never intended for the killing to blow up into a communal and political issue.
Regarding the new developments, he said that it was strange that the meat is now revealed as beef, as earlier reports stated that it was mutton and that one of the reports must be wrong.
Possesion of Beef Not an Offence in Uttar Pradesh, Says Police
The Uttar Pradesh Police has maintained its stance on the issue saying that while possession of beef is not an offence, lynching is.
The new revelations will not weaken their case, said the DGP of police, Javeed Ahmed, stating that they will still continue the investigation is the same way.
According to the laws in Uttar Pradesh, slaughter of cows is illegal, while possession of beef is not.
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