Residents of Dadri threaten UP govt over lynching case

Nine months after the Dadri lynching, the situation in Bisada village became tense on Monday as residents held a protest ignoring prohibitory orders demanding an FIR against the victim’s family for “cow slaughter”.

Defying prohibitory orders, a ‘mahapanchayat’ was held at Bisada, where one Mohammed Ikhlaq was lynched last year over rumours of cooking beef.

Several youths were arrested in connection with the case. The ‘mahapanchayat’ in which a large number of members of the powerful Jat community from Bisada and adjoining villages took part issued an ultimatum to the Uttar Pradesh government to prosecute Ikhlaq’s family members and release the accused. “We have decided to give this government 20 days to register a case for slaughter of cow...we will take to the streets if it is not done,” said a community member after the meeting.

The members said that the report of the Mathura-based forensic laboratory had clearly stated that the meat recovered from Ikhlaq’s house was “beef”.

Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, however, questioned the authenticity of the report and said the meat examined by the lab was the one recovered from Ikhlaq’s house.

The forensic lab report had said that the meat was from “cow or its progeny”. An earlier report prepared by another lab in the state said that it was “mutton”.