The Rajasthan government has ordered a judicial inquiry into the alleged lynching of Rakbar Khan on suspicion of cow smuggling, claiming evidence suggested custodial death.

Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria , who met the victim’s family on Tuesday, said that Rakbar (28) may have lived had the  police taken him to hospital immediately, instead of taking the cows to a shelter first. The minister, along with chief secretary DB Gupta and director  general of police OP Galhotra, visited Ramgarh in Alwar district to inspect the spot where Khan was allegedly lynched. He also enquired about the lapses on part of the police.

Suspected cow vigilantes on Saturday, attacked 28-year-old Rakbar and his friend Aslam while they were taking cows to their villages in Haryana through a forest in Alwar’s Ramgarh. While Aslam managed to flee, Rakbar was thrashed brutally by the group. It took the police more than 2 hours to take the victim to a nearby hospital, where he later died, opting instead to take his two cows to a shelter first, some 17 km away.  Khan died of shock caused by multiple injuries, his post-mortem report has said.

Three men have been arrested for the murder. Aslam, who escaped the mob, said there were seven attackers. Under fire for delay in taking Rakbar to the hospital, the Rajasthan Police set up a four-member committee to probe the allegations. The panel ordered the suspension of assistant sub-inspector posted at the Ramgarh police station, Mohan Singh, and transferred three others to police lines. The action was taken after a video purportedly showing ASI Singh admitting to his “mistake” went viral.

Kataria said the evidence suggested that the death took place while in police custody, and announced a judicial inquiry. “We have written to the additional chief judicial magistrate to initiate a probe,” Kataria said. The minister announced a compensation of Rs 1.25 lakh to the victim’s family and said the amount could be increased on the basis of a recommendation by the district legal committee. 

The police are also investigating if the cows that Rakbar Khan was transporting were legally purchased. A case had been registered against Rakbar Khan in at Alwar Nauganwa police station on December 30, 2014 under the Rajasthan law that bans transport of cows for slaughter, a police official said. Two cows were then seized from him, he added.

Meanwhile Alwar (Urban) MLA Banwari Lal Singhal has accused people from the victim’s Meo community of being involved in crime in the district. “The killing of Akbar Khan has shocked the nation and it should be probed fairly. But it is also a fact that people from the Meo community are involved in crime and entire Alwar is suffering. Many of them come to Alwar from Haryana and return to their villages after committing crimes like robberies,” Singhal said. 

But Sher Mohammad, head of the Alwar Meo panchayat has said that the community was not safe in Rajasthan. “Rajasthan has become Lynchistan. The cow vigilantes are without any fear and five people have so far lost their lives in Alwar,” Mohammad alleged in the memo to chief minister Vasundhara Raje. He also alleged that Ramgarh MLA Gyan Dev Ahuja has been “openly saying” that those who beat up Rakbar, were his own men, a charge denied by the BJP MLA. Mohammed said Naval Kishore Sharma, who informed the police about the  incident, was the main culprit.