Rakbar Khan lynching: 4 cow vigilantes sentenced, main accused acquitted
A sessions court in Rajasthan's Alwar on Thursday sentenced four people to seven years in jail for lynching 28-year-old dairy farmer Rakbar Khan on suspicion of smuggling cattle for slaughter near Lalawandi village in Alwar in July 2018. The fifth accused, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) member Naval Kishore Sharma, whom Khan's family accused as the main suspect, was acquitted due to insufficient evidence.
Why does this story matter?
This is the first court conviction in a case of cow vigilantism in Rajasthan. In 2019, all six accused in the 2017 Pehlu Khan lynching case were acquitted. Allegedly, all the accused were caught on camera during the attack, which also occurred in Alwar. The court gave them the benefit of the doubt on grounds of "contradiction" in the probe and the prosecution's evidence.
What happened on the fateful day in 2018
The convicts were identified as Dharmendra Yadav, Paramjeet Sardar, Vijay Kumar, and Naresh Kumar. On July 21, 2018, the so-called cow protectionists stopped and assaulted Khan while he and his friend Aslam were transporting two cows. Aslam managed to escape, but Khan was severely beaten and handed him over to the police. Khan's family accused the police of denying him timely life-saving medical attention.
Khan reportedly purchased cows, was taking them home
Aslam reportedly said that Khan had purchased the cows from Ladpura village and was taking them home through a forested area near Lalawandi village when a mob attacked them. The incident led to nationwide outrage, putting governments under pressure to curb such incidents.
Convicted for culpable homicide, not murder
The convicts were found guilty of culpable homicide, not amounting to murder, which came as a disappointment to Khan's family, who had demanded murder charges. The case of murder is considered only when an intention has been established. The sentence for murder is life imprisonment, while for culpable homicide, the maximum duration of the sentence can be 10 years of imprisonment.
BJP leader booked in Alwar for allegedly promoting cow vigilantism
Incidents of violence and mob lynching due to cow vigilantism have risen significantly since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in 2014. Last year, Alwar Police booked BJP leader Gyan Dev Ahuja after he was caught on camera saying, "We have lynched five people so far." He said, "I have given a free hand to workers to kill. We'll get them acquitted."
BJP opposed anti-mob lynching Bill in 2021
In 2021, the BJP had also opposed an anti-mob lynching Bill passed by the Jharkhand state Assembly. The BJP, which is in opposition in the state, termed the Bill "unconstitutional," anti-Jharkhand, and an attempt by the Hemant Soren-led state government "to appease a particular community."
