New Delhi, March 13: About six years after a cattle trader, Qasim (45), was beaten to death and another person, Samaydeen (62), seriously injured by a mob in Hapur district of Uttar Pradesh, a local court on Tuesday convicted all 10 accused and sentenced them to life imprisonment, reports The Indian Express.
Additional Sessions Judge Shweta Dixit convicted the accused under IPC Sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, etc.), 149 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting) and 148 (armed with deadly weapon).
The report says that the 10 who have been convicted have been named as Maangeram, Karanpal, Rinku Rana, Hari Om, Lalit, Rakesh, Manish, Yudhishtir, Sonu Rana and Kanu. They have also been imposed a fine of Rs. 58,000 each.
The incident dates back to June 18, 2018, when Qasim, a resident of Pilkhuwa in Hapur district, was cornered by a mob, allegedly over rumours of cow slaughter, and beaten to death. A video clip that surfaced showed Qasim lying in a field, his clothes torn and bruises across his body.
In his statement, Samaydeen told police he and his neighbour Hassan, both residents of Madapur Mustafabad village, had gone to collect fodder when they saw the mob chasing Qasim.
Samaydeen reportedly sought to help Qasim, and was also beaten up.
Days after the incident, a photograph was circulated on social media showing Qasim being dragged by some men, with three policemen in the frame. The three policemen were later sent to police lines, and the state police issued an apology.
In September 2018, the Supreme Court asked the Inspector General of Police, Meerut range, to supervise the probe after Samaydeen approached the apex court.
Speaking to The Indian Express on Tuesday, Samaydeen’s brother Mehruddin (69) expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision, and said it should set a precedent. “This is one of the most heinous crimes to have taken place, but we did not demand the death penalty. We requested the judge to give them life imprisonment, because we just wanted to make them realise the gravity of their crime. We do not have enmity against any of them. The judgment should send a message to society… hate must end,” he said.
“Even today, I am not able to understand how a group of men can beat another man to death… When they killed Qasim, they deliberately turned it into a fake cow slaughter allegation. The police did not support us, that is why we had to move the Supreme Court, and, on the orders of the apex court, the investigation was carried out in a professional manner. We want peace and harmony among communities,” said Mehruddin.
In their plea in the SC, Samaydeen’s family and friends had alleged that they “were subjected to grave threat, coercion and intimidation by the circle officer”, who, “in collusion with the local police, dictated a concocted and false complaint, thereby fabricating evidence, wherein the mob lynching is falsely stated to be an act of road rage emanating from a motorcycle accident.”
“It is perhaps the first conviction under IPC Section 302 in a case of this nature, where, on a rumour of cow slaughter, two people were attacked because of their religion. The conviction under IPC Section 153A is thus significant, as it highlights that this murder was a result of spreading hatred and ill will on communal lines,” said Soutik Banerjee, the victim’s lawyer.
“One hopes that the rule of law will find force from this judgment, and vigilantism and majoritarian mob lynching will not be repeated,” he added.
