Accused in Junaid Khan’s train lynching granted bail

Junaid’s family, meanwhile, alleged that Parkash was one of the “main culprits” behind the crime.

Written by Sakshi Dayal , Somya Lakhani | Gurgaon/delhi | Published:July 30, 2017 3:57 am
National Human Rights Commission, Shehzad Poonawala, Junaid Khan, killing of Haryana teenager Junaid Khan, India news, National news, Latest news Junaid Khan, who was stabbed on June 22.

A month after he was arrested by Haryana railway police in connection with the murder of 15-year-old Junaid Khan, who was stabbed to death on a Mathura-bound train, Chander Parkash was granted bail by a Faridabad court earlier this week. “One of the accused, Chander Parkash has been granted bail. He is not the main accused in the case, but was part of the mob that harassed Junaid,” DSP Haryana railway police, Mohinder Singh, said.

Junaid’s family, meanwhile, alleged that Parkash was one of the “main culprits” behind the crime. “Police ne sab galat kar diya hai… They’re doing this under some political pressure… It’s been a little more than a month and the culprit has been let out on bail. My sons told me he was one of the main culprits,” alleged Jalaluddin, Junaid’s father.

While granting bail to the accused, Additional Sessions Judge Y S Rathor also dropped the offence of IPC section 34 (common intention), confirming that the “applicant did not share any common intention with the main accused, namely Naresh, in committing the murder of deceased… and for attempting to commit murder of the other victims”.

“Investigation and trial will take sufficiently long time to conclude. Nothing is to be recovered from his possession and further detention of the applicant is thus not required,” the order said.

Parkash was granted bail subject to the payment of a bail bond to the tune of Rs 1 lakh and compliance to three conditions — that he does not commit “an offence similar to the offence of which he is accused, or suspected”; that he does not “tamper with evidence” or “directly or indirectly” make any “inducement, threat, or promise” to anyone who knows the facts of the case to “dissuade” them from disclosing these; and that he does not leave the country without prior permission of the court.

In the days after the incident, police arrested five people, including Parkash, on June 28. All of them confessed to being part of the mob but claimed they did not wield the knife that killed Junaid and injured his brothers. The main accused, Naresh Kumar, was arrested on July 8.