Alwar Lynching: Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Victim's Father's Plea

NEW DELHI: In a major development in the Alwar lynching case, the Supreme Court of India on Monday agreed to hear a plea of the victims's father. Key witness in the case and father of Rakbar Khan, Sulaiman has approached the apex court for shifting the trial outside Rajasthan. In his petition, Rakbar's father has requested that a court monitored special investigative team must look into the case. Sulaiman has also accused a BJP MLA Gyan Dev Ahuja from Alwar of attempting to influencing the case.

Akbar Khan, also known as Rakbar Khan, was lynched to death at Lalawandi village in Alwar district of Rajasthan on July 20 night by self-proclaimed Gau Rakshaks (cow vigilantes) on the suspicion of cow smuggling, The 28-year-old Khan, a resident of Kol village in Haryana, was in the custody of the cops for around three hours and 45 minutes before he was taken to a Community Health Centre, which was around six kilometre away from the spot, where he was declared brought dead. 

Instead of immediately rushing Akbar to the hospital, the police allegedly first stopped near a well, and washed off the mud from the victim’s body. Later, it emerged that the cops’ priority was never to rush Khan to a nearby hospital.

On September 7, the police filed a chargesheet in the court against three accused who were arrested for the murder of Rakbar Khan. The fourth accused is yet to be arrested. But it has also said that Khan's death was not a case of mob lynching. 

However, a local BJP MLA Gyandev Ahuja has come out in support of the murder accused saying that ‘gaurakshaks’ will challenge the chargesheet in the court as “it does not say a word” about “cow smugglers” and about the policemen charged with dereliction of duty.

Speaking with Newsclick, Rakbar's brother, Akbar alleged, " The accused are close to BJP MLA Gyan Dev Ahuja, that's why he is influencing in the case. I am travelling, will update you soon once I reach home."

Till now four people have been lynched to death in BJP government-ruled Rajasthan since 2015, with three cases reported in 2017 alone:

May 30, 2015: Abdul Gaffar Querishi was killed by the cow vigilantes at Birloka, Didwana tehsil, Nagaur district, Rajasthan.

April 1, 2017: Pehlu Khan was murdered at Behror in Alwar district of Rajasthan.

June 16, 2017:Zafar Khan was killed at Pratapgarh town in Pratapgarh district of the state.

September 10, 2017: Bhagtaram Meena was killed at Neem ka Thaana in Sikar district. 

November 12, 2017: Umar Mohammed, a resident of Ghatmatika Pahadi, near Pahadi Kaman, killed near Ramgarah Tehsil in Alwar.