Rajasthan’s Additional Director General of Police Pankaj Kumar Singh on Thursday told Scroll.in that there is no “scientific evidence” to press charges against the six people named by dairy farmer Pehlu Khan, who was lynched by a mob on April 1. The senior official’s statement follows the police department’s decision to close the case into the six men named by Khan.
Singh, who heads the Criminal Investigation Department and Crime Branch in the state, said they questioned several people identified in the visuals shared by media persons. Testimonies, detailed call records and tower locations examined by investigating officials indicated that the six named by Khan were not present during the incident, Singh said.
The rewards announced for information about their whereabouts have been withdrawn. “The police questioned several persons who were visible in those photographs and the names of two more accused persons emerged.” Police are searching for the two accused, who have been identified as Deepak Yadav and Bhim Rathi. The police will now file a supplementary charge sheet pressing charges against the two.
On April 1, Khan, 55, a dairy farmer from Nuh in Haryana, his son Irshad, and three others, were returning home after buying cows from a trader in Jaipur when a mob stopped their vehicles in Alwar district and thrashed them. The mob accused them of transporting the cattle for slaughter. Khan succumbed to his injuries on April 3.
Behror Police, which was earlier investigating the case, had actually filed a chargesheet in May and slapped charges against seven persons who were apprehended. However, the seven, against whom charges were pressed, did not include the six persons named by Pehlu Khan in his statement to the police, Singh said.
Buy an annual Scroll Membership to support independent journalism and get special benefits.
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!