Referring to the viral social media video that filmed the brutal physical assault on Lukman Khan, and his abduction by cow vigilantes on 31 July, the eve of Eid-al-Adha, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) recently issued notices to the Commissioner of Police, Gurgaon, Haryana on a complaint by Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) National Assistant Coordinator Adv. Shuaib K Inamdar, who alleged police inaction in the abduction and physical assault case of victim Lukman.
The letter stated that “though faces of the accused are clearly visible in the video, the police have arrested only a few.”
Speaking to The Cognate, Adv. Shuaib said, “the attack seems to be aimed at creating disharmony in the society before Eid and instilling fear in minorities.”
Demanding prompt and effective action in the matter and payment of compensation to the victim, the letter demanded that “the complaint be transmitted to the CP, Gurgaon, Haryana and that an “Action Taken Report be submitted back to the commission in 4 weeks.”
25-year-old Lukman Khan was beaten by a mob of eight to 10 men with hammers for transporting meat in Gurugram on the pretext of allegedly carrying buffalo meat. A viral video of the attack shows a group of assailants kicking Lukman and assaulting him with a hammer. Uniformed policemen can be seen watching from the crowd, without trying to stop the violence.
“They must have asked me to chant ‘Jai Shree Ram’ some 50 times. When I said it wasn’t in my religion and called Allah’s name instead, they beat me harder,” The Print quoted Lukman as saying.
In April 2017, Pehlu Khan, a dairy farmer, and four others, including his two sons, were attacked by self-styled ‘cow vigilantes’ in Behror, Alwar. Khan died. In August 2019, a local court in Alwar acquitted six of these nine accused, citing a lack of evidence. One is absconding. In Uttar Pradesh’s Dadri, 52-year-old Mohammad Akhlaq was killed on suspicion of slaughtering a cow.
In Lukman’s case, APCR has reported that an FIR has been lodged against unknown persons whereas one Pradeep Yadav is apprehended to be the prime accused in some media reports. The team comprising Adv. Shuaib K Inamdar, Adv. Haseeb Siddiqui, Adv. Khaleel Ahmed, Jb. Muhd Ishtiyaq and Maulana Tahir Ameeni assured all forms of legal support for the victim on behalf of APCR.
