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Killing of Junaid Khan

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Junaid Khan was a 16-year-old from Khandawali village near Ballabhgarh, Haryana, who was stabbed to death on a Delhi–Mathura passenger train on 22 June 2017 while returning from Eid shopping in Delhi; two of his relatives were injured.[1][2] His family said the attackers taunted them as "beef-eaters", while police said the fight began over seats.[1][3] As of 2025 the trial of six accused in Faridabad had not concluded.[4]

Incident

On the evening of 22 June 2017 Junaid, his brother Hashim and two others were travelling home on a Mathura-bound train after shopping in Delhi ahead of Eid.[1][3] According to Hashim, a group of 15 to 20 men who boarded at Okhla demanded their seats, called them "anti-nationals" and "beef-eaters", and threw their skullcaps to the floor.[1][3]

The argument turned violent and Junaid was stabbed. His brothers Hashim and Shakir were also injured; Shakir had come to meet them at Ballabhgarh station and was drawn into the attack.[1][2] Junaid was thrown from the train at Asaoti station and was declared dead at hospital.[5] The family said no other passengers intervened.[3]

Police accounts of the motive differed from the family's. Deputy Superintendent of Police Mohinder Singh said the FIR did not mention beef, and Haryana's Director General of Police, B. S. Sandhu, described the incident as a clash between two groups. The Ballabhgarh superintendent of police said the fight began over seats but that there were allegations of words hurting religious sentiments.[1][3]

Police arrested six men in 2017, including the main accused, a security guard from Palwal who was arrested in Maharashtra.[6][5] The Quint reported in 2022 that only two of the six had been charged with murder.[6] Junaid's father, Jalaluddin, sought a Central Bureau of Investigation probe and the addition of further charges, alleging a shoddy police investigation; the Punjab and Haryana High Court dismissed his petition on 27 November 2017.[2][7]

On appeal, the Supreme Court stayed the trial in the Faridabad sessions court in March 2018.[7][4] In October 2018 the High Court granted interim bail to the main accused, noting he had been in custody for over a year and that proceedings were stayed; by then all six accused were out on bail.[7][6] In 2022 the family's lawyer said the case had seen only adjournments.[6]

The family's petition in the Supreme Court was withdrawn on 19 March 2024. The main accused was directed to surrender and did so on 16 April 2024.[4] On 20 August 2025 the Punjab and Haryana High Court refused him regular bail, saying a safe atmosphere should be ensured for eyewitnesses, two of whom had not yet testified; it allowed him to apply again after their examination.[4][5]

Reactions

Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu said that no one should take the law into their own hands. Jawahar Yadav, an aide to Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, called the incident unfortunate and said there was no communal angle, adding that the government would examine the family's claims and the alleged inaction of railway officials.[3][1] Five years later Junaid's mother told The Quint she believed he was killed because he was Muslim and wore a skullcap.[6]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 "Youth Lynched on Train After Mob Brands Family “Beef-Eaters”". The Quint. 23 June 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Junaid Khan Lynching: HC Stays Trial, Issues Notice for CBI Probe". The Quint. 6 December 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 "Did Junaid's Attackers Mention 'Beef'? Accused Admits They Did; Police Flip-Flop". BOOM. 24 June 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Tribune News Service. "HC dismisses bail plea in Junaid lynching case". The Tribune. 21 August 2025. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Junaid Khan mob lynching case: HC rejects prime accused bail plea". Siasat Daily. 20 August 2025. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Samarth Grover, Somya Lakhani. "'Would've Been Alive If He Wasn't Muslim': Junaid's Mother, 5 Yrs After Lynching". The Quint. 22 June 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Apoorva Mandhani. "Junaid Khan Lynching Case: P&H HC Grants Bail To Main Accused [Read Order]". LiveLaw. 17 October 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
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