JAIPUR: The politics of polarization in Pehlu Khan lynching case has peaked, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hitting out at the Congress government over its decision to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) for a fresh probe in the case.
The Rajasthan government announced the formation of the SIT on Friday, two days after an Alwar court acquitted all six accused in the lynching of Khan on suspicion of cattle smuggling.
The video clip of the incident helped the police identify the six accused in the case.
However, citing “serious shortcomings” in the investigation, the district court acquitted the accused, giving them the benefit of doubt.
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It also refused to accept the video clip as an admissible piece of evidence in the case.
The BJP has also sought a CBI probe into the alleged mob lynching of Harish Jatav and the suicide of his father, Ratiram.
On July 16, Harish, a Dalit from Alwar’s Tapukada area, rammed his bike into a woman and was thrashed allegedly by members of the Muslim community.
He was admitted to a Delhi hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
The family of the deceased alleged that Harish’s father committed suicide in the face of threats and also claimed that the investigation by the police left a lot to be desired.
Bharatiya Janta Party MLA Satish Poonia said, “Harish’s father pleaded with the authorities in the quest of justice for his son. However, getting no assurance of help from the police, he committed suicide. We demand that the case be handed over to the CBI.”
However, Congress spokesperson Archana Sharma accused the BJP of appeasement politics, saying, “Their leaders tried to polarize the people of Alwar with inflammatory speeches, but failed.”