A Year After Akhlaq Was Killed, Police Find No Evidence Of Cow Slaughter By Him And His Family

A year after 50-year-old Mohammad Akhlaq was dragged out of his home and killed by a mob of at least 100 in Uttar Pradesh's Dadri over rumours that he had stored beef, the officials investigating the case have concluded that there was no evidence to prove that Akhlaq and his family had slaughtered a cow.

According to a report in The Hindu, due to lack of any sort of evidence, the police is likely to close the case and file a report in the Surajpur Court.

Two months back, in July, the court had ordered an FIR against Akhlaq's family under the U.P. Cow Slaughter Act, 1955, based on a petition by a neighbour in their village Bisada.

The petition, backed by those accused of Akhlaq's murder, alleged that his family had killed a calf and that his brother Jaan Mohammad was seen slitting the throat of the animal.

READ: Focusing On What Akhlaq Ate Rather Than Who Killed Him Says A Lot About 'Modern' India

It had named seven members of the family, including Akhlaq's wife Ikraman and mother Asgari.

"The forensic team collected the soil but no element of animal blood was found in the entire area," a police official told The Hindu.

The police also said that they did not find knives and other implements which could establish that a cow was slaughtered on the spot. Hence, a charge sheet cannot be filed, they said.

A police officer also said there were loopholes in the complaint filed against Akhlaq's family that they will include in the closure report.

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