One of the key accused in the horrific Dadri lynching of 2015, where Mohammad Akhlaq was killed over suspicion of beef consumption, will be contesting the upcoming general elections from Noida, on an Uttar Pradesh Navnirman Sena ticket.
Rupendra Rana, who has served two and a half years in jail for his alleged role in the lynching of Akhlaq, has been fielded by the party because he spent his time in prison for the “respect of gaumata”, Amit Jani, UP Navnirman Sena chairperson told The Times of India (TOI).
“Rana is the perfect person to protect cows as he has spent 2.5 years in prison for the respect of gaumata,” Jani told the newspaper.
Stating that the party’s decision to field Rana for the 2019 polls would be announced in Bisada (the village where Akhlaq was lynched) on Monday, 24 September, Jani added that unlike others, Rana had “proven his commitment to the cause” in 2015, instead of making “false promises” of protecting cows.
The Navnirman Sena have also fielded singer Vikas Kumar from Mathura, who had sent a Rs 7 crore notice to the makers of Veere Di Wedding for allegedly using his song without his permission, TOI reports.
The party have also offered a ticket from Agra to Shambhulal Regar, who was arrested last year for hacking and burning a Muslim man in Rajsamand, the TOI report adds.
The Dadri Lynching Incident of 2015
On 28 September 2015, an angry mob attacked Akhlaq and his son Danish, in the Bisada village of Dadri, over suspicion that Akhlaq had slaughtered a cow.
While Akhlaq died on the spot, Danish somehow survived the blows.
Eighteen youths, including three juveniles from nearby areas, were charged with sections relating to murder and assault. While the juveniles were given bail, the others were put behind bars, the TOI report adds.
Rana was granted bail after spending two and a half years in jail.
Other than Noida, Mathura and Agra, the party is also planning to contest from Aligarh and Firozabad. Jani also told the newspaper that his five candidates or “pandavas” would prove to be a “big trouble” for the BJP leaders contesting the same five constituencies.
(With inputs from The Times of India)
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