NEW DELHI: Rajasthan home minister
Gulab Chand Kataria on Tuesday said that evidence suggests that the man who was brutally thrashed by a mob in Rajasthan's Alwar on suspicion of cow smuggling last week died in police custody.
"According to the evidence we have collected, it looks like a custodial death. Further investigation is underway," Kataria said while addressing the media.
The minister also said that the state government has taken steps to get a judicial probe conducted.
"We have written to the additional chief judicial magistrate to initiate a probe," Kataria told reporters at a press conference here.
Kataria also announced an initial compensation of Rs 1.25 lakh for the family of the deceased.
"In cases of custodial death, a committee constituted at the district level takes decisions regarding compensation to the family members of the deceased," Kataria said. A sessions judge normally heads such a committee, he added.
The minister also told the reporters that he met the family members of the victim and assured them of his assistance. “I met the victim's family and they told me that they are satisfied with the action taken so far. I told them to come and meet me whenever they want if they want to tell me something more," he said.
On the lines of the Pehlu Khan's lynching case, the state government has ordered a compensation of Rs 1.25 lakh to Rakbar Khan's family. Further compensation will be provided based on the recommendations of the district legal committee, he added.
Kataria also distanced himself from a remark by a minister in his government. A cabinet minister in Rajasthan government, Jaswant Yadav had urged members of the Muslim community to "understand the sentiments of Hindus and stop smuggling cows.”They must stop this business. As far as his death is concerned, I express condolence and I stand against those who take law in their hands," Yadav had said.
Kataria today responded by saying that Yadav should answer for himself. "The law does not give anyone the right to kill. Whosoever is responsible will be punished," the minister responded.
On Monday, the Rajasthan police had set up a high-level committee to probe the allegations of delay against the Alwar police in taking Akbar Khan to a hospital after he was allegedly lynched by a group of people of suspicion of cow smuggling.
"Allegations of delay in taking Khan to the hospital and policemen crossing their limits have come to fore. A four-member committee of senior police officials is in Alwar to enquire into the matter," state Director General of Police (DGP) O P Galhotra said.
It will also be probed whether the 28-year-old Akbar, alias Rakbar Khan, became a victim of police beating on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday. Appropriate action would be taken if any lapses were found in the enquiry report, the DGP said.
The inquiry is in addition to the overall probe that has been handed over to additional SP rank officer. While two persons, Dharmendra Yadav and Paramjeet Singh, were arrested on Saturday, the third accused, Naresh Singh, was arrested yesterday and they are under police custody for five days, police said.
It is alleged that when Akbar was thrashed by a group of people on suspicion of being a cow smuggler in Lalawandi village in Alwar, it took over two-and-a-half hours for the police to take the victim to the Ramgarh Community Healthcare Centre, which is nearly 4 km away from the scene of crime.
Akbar, along with his friend Aslam, were taking cows to their villages in Haryana through a forest area in Ramgarh area of Alwar, where they caught by a group of people. Aslam had managed to flee from there.
As per the FIR lodged with Ramgarh police station on Saturday, Naval Kishore Sharma, the chief of VHP's "Gau Raksha" cell in Ramgarh, had informed the police at 12.41 am (on Saturday) about the incident.
Police reached the spot at around 1.15 am. Akbar's statement was recorded and he was taken to police station. As per the CHC entry register, a body of a 28-year-old male was brought at 4.00 am.
Questioning the role of the police, local Ramgarh MLA Gyan Dev Ahuja has demanded a judicial inquiry to find out if Rakbar was lynched by a mob or beaten to death by police.
Following the allegation, the probe into the alleged lynching incident was handed over to Additional SP (Crime and Vigilance), Jaipur Range, yesterday.
"The investigation will be carried out in a fair and transparent manner," IG, Jaipur Range, Hemant Priyadarshi had said.
Meanwhile, the police investigation has revealed the past police record of the victim. On December 30, 2014, Nauganwa police station in Alwar had registered a case against Rakbar under sections 5 (prohibits the export of bovine animals for slaughter) and 8 (penalty for contravention of Section 5) of the Rajasthan Bovine Animal Act, after allegedly retrieving two cows from him. Nauganwa police station SHO Mohan Singh said a challan was filed in the 2014 case.
