The 6 found not guilty: (from left) Rahul Saini, Jagmal Yadav, Hukum Chand, Om Prakash Yadav, Navin Sharma, Sudheer
Those accused named in dying statement, were not questioned, ‘not guilty’ : Indian Express
Pehlu Khan lynching: 6 named in dying declaration now found not guilty by police, 5 accused on bail, 2 have bail pleas pending in court, 2 more absconding In his statement to Alwar police before his death in April, dairy farmer Pehlu Khan, 55, had said: “… About 200 men stopped our pick-up and started abusing and assaulting us. While assaulting, they were taking the names Om Yadav, Hukum Chand, Navin Sharma, Sudheer, Rahul Saini and Jagmal between them and saying that they are members of Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal. They said whoever passes through Behror with cows will be beaten up like this.”
Yesterday : The Rajasthan Police have closed investigations into six people named by dairy farmer Pehlu Khan before his death in a mob attack in April, Hindustan Times has found, sparking allegations that the authorities are under pressure to protect cow vigilante suspects.
Six of the men named in the dying declaration were wanted by Rajasthan police on various charges, including murder. However, five months later, police have found them not guilty following an investigation during which the men, declared absconding, could not be questioned. Pehlu, his two sons and others were attacked, allegedly by gau rakshaks, on April 1 while on their way to Haryana after buying cattle from Jaipur. Pehlu died two days later.
The six accused named by Pehlu Khan were initially wanted under IPC sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint), 308 (culpable homicide), 379 (theft) and 427 (destruction of property). Following Pehlu’s death, 302 (murder) was added. Having found them not guilty, police have withdrawn the reward of Rs 5,000 they had announced on each of the six men. “We have withdrawn the reward against the six persons after an investigation by CB-CID into their role,” Alwar SP Rahul Prakash told The Indian Express. The probe was transferred to Rajasthan CB-CID from Alwar police in July.
“They [the six accused] have been found not guilty mainly because of three reasons: first, they are not seen anywhere in the video recordings. Second, their location, as per their mobile phones, was found not to be on the spot. Third, the witnesses said that these six were at Dehmi gaushala, and not on the spot [of assault],” Prakash said.
“Yes, there is no doubt that a man’s dying declaration is a very important part of investigation but we also have to look at other facts,” he said.
The CB-CID recently sent a report to Alwar police recommending the removal of the names of the six as they were found “not guilty” after an investigation, which included statements of policemen and employees of a gaushala at Dehmi.
“This is betrayal. We heard the names [of the accused] too. We will seek an inquiry again,” said Pehlu’s son Irshad, who had been with him during the assault.
The 6 named
#Hukum Chand, among the six named by Pehlu, managed Rajeshwar College and also worked there as physical training instructor.
#Navin Sharma taught accounts in the same college and was reportedly very popular.
#Jagmal Yadav, aged over 70, ran the Dehmi gaushala in Behror as its caretaker, having retired from a government college in Haryana. He also ran Manav Jagriti Manch that, among its activities, rewarded meritorious school students after raising funds from the public.
#Om Prakash Yadav is known as a local strongman who owns several shops and land along the highway where Pehlu was attacked, as well as the Behror dealership of a water purifier company. His wife, Nidhi Yadav, is a corporator with Behror Nagar Palika.
#Rahul Saini, M Com, is unemployed and used to help his father at a tyre repair shop.
Sudheer, the sixth named by Khan, helped run a 24-hour “cow helpline” in Behror.
The rest of the story may be read here
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