Rajasthan Police has closed the investigation against the six accused in Pehlu Khan’s lynching case after Crime Investigation Department-Crime Branch (CB-CID) team cleared them of all charges, according to media reports on Thursday.
Pehlu Khan, 55, and his two sons were allegedly attacked by cow vigilantes (gau rakshaks) in Alwar on 1 April on the suspicion of being cow smugglers, while they were on their way to Haryana after purchasing cattle in Rajasthan. Khan and his sons had permits for the animals, but the men accused him of transporting them illegally.
Khan a dairy farmer succumbed to his injuries after two-days in a private hospital.
“The statements of witnesses in the case including policemen and the employees of the Rath Gaushala indicate that none of the accused was present at the time of the attack. Call record details of the six people along with Base Transceiver Station (BTS) location of mobiles further support this,” reads the report.
“Based on the findings of the investigating officer, it is hereby recommended that the names of the six accused be removed from the case as they have been found not guilty,” the report said.
The Crime Investigation Department – Crime Branch (CB-CID) instructed the Rajasthan Police to remove the name of the six men from the list of accused after the investigation team did not find their involvement in the crime.
The Rajasthan Police also cancelled a reward of Rs 5,000 each for information about the six accused.
The lynching case was handed over to CB-CID in July.
Earlier, Khan in his ‘dying declaration’ to a police officer had named six accused — Hukum Chand, Navin Sharma, Jagmal Yadav, Om Prakash, Sudheer and Rahul Saini of attacking him.
On Khan’s statement an FIR was registered against the six accused and later on nine others, who were identified from a video which was circulating on social media.
The police have arrested seven of the accused from the video, while two are absconding