Alwar lynching: Ashok Gehlot says Pehlu Khan not named in chargesheet
Two years ago, dairy farmer Pehlu Khan was lynched by cow vigilantes for allegedly transporting cattle without permission in Rajasthan. Now, the state police have filed a chargesheet against him posthumously and his two sons, Irsad (25) and Arif (22).
After the chargesheet caused an uproar, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot rejected the report and tweeted, “Name of Late #PehluKhan is not there in the chargesheet submitted by #Rajasthan Police in December 2018.”
“Investigation of this case was done in the past during the previous BJP government and chargesheet was filed. If any discrepancies are found in the investigation, the case will be re-investigated,” He told ANI.
This is a separate case which was registered and investigated under previous government in 2017-18 against Mr Arif, Mr Irshad and Mr Khan Mohd (Transporter),
3/4— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) June 29, 2019
Pehlu Khan’s sons have been charged under sections 5, 8 and 9 of the Rajasthan Bovine Animal (Prohibition of Slaughter and Regulation of Temporary Migration or Export) Act, 1995, while the deceased has allegedly been framed under section 6, which says the transporter is also an abettor and is liable for the same punishment as the person committing the offence.
Section 5 of the Act pertains to the prohibition of the export of bovine animals for the purpose of slaughter and regulation of temporary migration or export for other purposes, while section 8 talks about the penalty for such offences. Section 9 mentions punishment for causing hurt to a bovine animal.
55-year-old Pehlu Khan, a dairy farmer from Haryana, was attacked on April 1, 2017 by cow vigilantes in Rajasthan’s Alwar and severely beaten up. A video showed him being pulled by the neck, thrown to the ground and kicked. He succumbed to his injuries two days later.
While an FIR was filed against the eight people who lynched him, they soon walked free. At the same time, an FIR was filed against Khan and his sons for allegedly transporting cattle without the district collector’s permission. However, his sons have claimed that they had the required papers but their attackers tore it up.
Khan and his sons were transporting the cattle — two cows and two calves they had purchased from a cattle fair in Jaipur — to their home in Haryana when they were waylaid on a national highway by their attackers. This isn’t the first instance of cow vigilantism in the country.wo years ago, dairy farmer Pehlu Khan was lynched by cow vigilantes for allegedly transporting cattle without permission in Rajasthan. Now, the state police have filed a chargesheet against him posthumously and his two sons, Irsad (25) and Arif (22).
