An Alwar court on Wednesday acquitted all six accused in the lynching of Pehlu Khan, killed two years ago by a mob that set upon him while he was transporting cows.
The judgement has dampened the hopes of the Pehlu Khan's family and they will now appeal in the High Court for justice. Speaking to New Indian Express on phone, Pehlu' s son Irshad said, "It feels like we should die. They have denied the video evidence also. Now, what do we do? This is not fair. In the video, it is clearly seen that the crowd is beating our father. If it is false, then how did our father die? We will go to High Court for further appeal."
He added, "The police have been completely biased and politically influenced. Many witnesses were put up in court but how will they remember the faces of the accused, the incident is more than two years old not three to four days old."
Irshad Khan also said, "We have no other option now, it is sad. At this moment, it feels like we should just die as we have no right to live in this country."
The reasons behind the acquittal are varied.
Though the six were caught on cellphone camera, the court said the video was not clear enough to establish their presence and was termed as 'not admissible evidence'. Also, the man who made the video did not depose in court.
Moreover, the judge pointed out that the accused were not named in the initial statement by Pehlu Khan before he died.
There were also contradictions behind the cause of his death. The doctors at the private hospital said he died due to a heart attack but the post mortem report said he succumbed to the injuries received due to beating.
(With online desk inputs)