The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday dismissed a petition seeking an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the lynching of Faridabad youth Junaid Khan on board a train in June, the Hindustan Times reported. Khan’s father Jalaluddin had filed the plea.
On June 22, sixteen-year-old Khan and three of his brothers had boarded a local train at Delhi’s Sadar Bazar Station. A fight broke out between the brothers and a few passengers over seats. The incident turned communal after a mob allegedly called the four “anti-nationals” and “beef eaters” and threw their skull caps on the floor. The 16-year-old was killed in the fight while his brothers were hospitalised with stab wounds.
Jalaludin had sought a CBI inquiry arguing that the Haryana Police had deliberately distorted all witnesses’ statements. On Monday, the court ruled that the petitioner was unable to prove that there was any fault in the investigation that the Haryana Police had conducted, said state Additional Advocate General Deepak Sabharwal.
The CBI had told the Punjab and Haryana High Court on November 8 that it could not take over the investigation of the murder as the case was “at a crucial stage”. The agency also said the case did not meet Supreme Court-issued guidelines for transfer from the state police, and that it was already burdened with other cases given to it by courts and state governments.
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