At the spot in Alwar where 32-year-old Rakbar was lynched. (Express Photo/Hamza Khan)
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognizance of media reports related to the death of Rakbar Khan alias Akbar and has issued notices to Rajasthan government, seeking a reply within two weeks.
Akbar, 31, was transporting cows on foot in the night between July 20 and 21 with Aslam Khan when they were allegedly stopped by villagers in Lalwandi, which is under the jurisdiction of the Ramgarh police station in Alwar district. While Rakbar was beaten to death, Aslam escaped.
“The cow vigilantes have reportedly alleged that the victim died in police custody and not because of mob violence as claimed by the authorities. There are further reports in the print media that it took Alwar police more than three hours to travel six kilometres while taking a critically injured victim of lynching to the closest hospital,” NHRC said.
The Commission has observed that the contents of the news reports, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of human rights of the victim. Accordingly, it has issued notices to the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police, Government of Rajasthan, calling for reports in the matter within two weeks.
The NHRC noted, “According to media reports, carried on the 22nd July, 2018, the victim of mob lynching, in his dying statement, told the police that he and his friend were walking back with two cows they had bought when they came under attack in Alwar’s Ramgarh area by the mob, which accused them of being smugglers taking the cattle for slaughter. Reportedly, rather than saving the life of the victim, the two cows recovered from him seemed to have been the priority of police. The cows were taken to gaushala 10 kilometres away, a good one hour before the victim of mob lynching was brought to the CHC, dead.”