Lynching of Pehlu Khan
| Date | 1 April 2017 |
|---|---|
| Location | Behror |
| District | Alwar |
| State | Rajasthan |
| Coordinates | 27.8903°N 76.2861°E View on OpenStreetMap |
| Victims |
|
| Killed | 1 |
| Injured | 2 |
| Alleged trigger | Cattle transport |
| Allegation | Cow vigilantes suspected that the cattle being transported in his vehicle were being smuggled for slaughter |
| Legal status | Six adult accused acquitted by an Alwar court in 2019; two juveniles convicted by the Juvenile Justice Board in 2020; state and family appeals against the acquittal admitted by the Rajasthan High Court, which issued bailable warrants against the six in 2021 |
Pehlu Khan was a 55-year-old dairy farmer from Nuh district, Haryana, who died on 3 April 2017, two days after a mob of cow vigilantes stopped the vehicle carrying cattle he had bought and assaulted him and his sons near Behror in Alwar district, Rajasthan.[1][2] In August 2019 an Alwar court acquitted all six adults tried for the killing, a verdict the Rajasthan government and Khan's sons appealed to the Rajasthan High Court.[2][3]
Background
Pehlu Khan was a dairy farmer from Nuh district in Haryana. In April 2017 he and his sons were travelling from Jaipur back to Nuh with cows he had bought at a cattle fair in Rajasthan.[2][4] Rajasthan's Bovine Animal Act of 1995 regulates the transport of cattle out of the state, and police later invoked that law against Khan, his sons and the driver of the vehicle.[4]
Incident
On 1 April 2017 cow vigilantes stopped the vehicle carrying Khan, his two sons and others at Behror, on the Jaipur–Delhi national highway, on suspicion of cow smuggling, and a mob assaulted them.[1][4] Al Jazeera, citing news agencies, reported that the mob numbered around 200 and that its members ignored Khan's assurances that the cows would not be slaughtered. Parts of the attack were recorded on mobile phones.[2] Khan's sons survived the assault. Khan died in a hospital in Alwar on 3 April 2017.[4][3] According to The Wire, Khan named his attackers in a dying declaration before he died.[3]
Investigation and legal proceedings
Two FIRs were registered: one against the mob for the killing, and one against Khan, his sons and the driver for illegally transporting cattle out of the state.[4] The six people Khan had named were later given a clean chit by the Rajasthan CID, and police named nine others, including two minors, as accused in the killing.[5]
On 14 August 2019 an Alwar court acquitted all six adult accused who had been tried, giving them the benefit of the doubt.[1] The defence said the prosecution had failed to link them to the attack, and the prosecution said the court had not accepted the video evidence.[2] The Rajasthan government said it would appeal the verdict.[2] A special investigation team set up by the state later reported lapses in the original probe, including in how the video was presented to the court.[5][4]
On 30 October 2019 Justice Pankaj Bhandari of the Rajasthan High Court quashed the FIR and chargesheet in the cattle-transport case against Khan's sons and the driver, finding no evidence that the cows were being taken for slaughter.[4] In March 2020 the Juvenile Justice Board in Alwar found two minors guilty, the first conviction in the case.[5]
In September 2021 a division bench of the Rajasthan High Court admitted an appeal by Khan's sons, Irshad and Arif, along with the state government's 2020 appeal against the acquittals, and issued bailable warrants against the six acquitted men to secure their appearance.[3] The sons argued that eyewitnesses had identified the accused and that the trial court had disregarded their testimony.[3] No later ruling on the appeals was found in the sources consulted.
Reactions
The 2019 acquittal drew wide criticism, with allegations of a miscarriage of justice.[3] According to The Wire, critics pointed to the police's failure to record the names from Khan's dying declaration in his sons' statements, inadequate cross-examination of the accused's alibis, the dismissal of a confession one accused made to a television channel, and the court's refusal to admit the video footage.[3] The Rajasthan government under Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot announced an appeal.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 PTI. "Pehlu Khan Lynching Case : Trial Court Acquits All 6 Accused". LiveLaw. 14 August 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 "Pehlu Khan lynching: Indian state to appeal acquittal of accused". Al Jazeera. 15 August 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 The Wire Staff. "Pehlu Khan Lynching Case Appeal: Rajasthan HC Issues Bailable Warrants Against Six Accused". The Wire. 7 September 2021. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Akshita Saxena. "Rajasthan HC Quashes Cattle Smuggling Case Against Pehlu Khan, His Two Sons And Driver [Read Judgment]". LiveLaw. 30 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Shruti Jain. "Pehlu Khan Lynching: Two Minors Convicted by Juvenile Justice Board". The Wire. 7 March 2020. Retrieved 31 October 2026.