Rajasthan Police filed a chargesheet for cow smuggling against Pehlu Khan and his two sons in Alwar for transporting cattle. Khan was allegedly lynched in 2017 by a mob of “gau rakshaks”.
While the police chargesheeted Khan’s sons Irsad (25) and Arif (22) under sections 5, 8 and 9, charges have been framed against the deceased under section 6 of the Rajasthan Bovine Animal (Prohibition of Slaughter and Regulation of Temporary Migration or Export) Act, 1995.
BJP leader Gyan Dev Ahuja slammed the Congress party for allegedly “taking credit” for the chargesheet against Pehlu Khan.
“Locals caught Pehlu Khan’s vehicle in which he was smuggling cows and they had only stopped them. He died in police custody; locals hadn’t beaten him. Now when chargesheet has been filed against him, Congress is taking credit. But Congress then gave financial help to his family,” he said.
The chargesheet against Khan was prepared on December 30 last year, 13 days after Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s government came into power in Rajasthan.
Section 5 of the RBA 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 6 says the transporter is also an abettor and is liable for the same punishment as the person committing the offence.
Section 8 is about the penalty for such offences while Section 9 mentions punishment for causing hurt to a bovine animal.
In 2018, the previous BJP government in the state had filed a similar chargesheet against two associates of Khan, who were also attacked by the mob.
There were two FIRs registered in the case. One was against the mob for beating Khan to death and second against him and his family for transporting cattle (cow) illegally out of the state.
The police had earlier given a clean chit to the six people accused of lynching Khan, a dairy farmer. The police’s decision was reportedly based on statements of the staff of a cow shelter and mobile phone records.
55-year-old Khan, a native of Nuh in Haryana, was allegedly beaten up by self-styled cow vigilantes near Behror in Rajasthan on the Delhi-Alwar highway on April 1, accusing him of smuggling cattle. He succumbed to his injuries at a private hospital on April 3.
Prasanta Patnaik