Days after the Uttar Pradesh police registered a case of cow slaughter against Mohammad Akhlaq’s family, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad is organising a meeting in their town of Bishahra on Monday to call for the arrest of the bereaved family.
Senior VHP functionary Jugal Kishor is expected to attend the meeting in which the Hindutva outfit is expected to chalk out its strategy.
“We want justice for the cow which was mercilessly slaughtered by Akhlaq,” said ‘Sadhvi’ Harsidhi Giri who stays at a temple in Bishahra.
The meet will see participation of VHP activists from the region as well as residents of Bishahra village. However, local officials said they were unaware of the meeting. “We are not in the know of any public meeting or agitation by VHP. As far as the ‘Sadhvi’ is concerned she is a nuisance for the villagers and an outsider,” Dadri circle officer Anurag Singh told The Hindu .
Despite the concerns Ms. Giri, whose controversial plan to do a “purification ceremony” in Bishahra was stalled by authorities earlier continues to stay in the village, ostensibly to take care of the village temple.
The Uttar Pradesh police on Friday registered a case of cow slaughter against Akhlaq’s family under several sections of the U.P. Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act 1955 and Animal Cruelty Act.
On the instructions of the local court, the police booked seven persons including Akhlaq’s wife Ikraman, his ailing mother Asghari, his brother Jaan Mohammad, daughter Shaishta and son Danish.
All of them except Jaan Mohammad witnessed Akhlaq’s lynching on the night of September 28, 2015 as the angry mob dragged him and his son Danish from the one-storey house and beat them with lathis, bricks and hockey sticks.
