Rakbar Khan, alias Akbar, and a fellow resident of a Haryana village were grazing cattle through a jungle close to Ramgarh on the evening of July 20, 2018, when four members of a cow vigilante group attacked them. They were found guilty and sentenced to seven years in prison.
Additional district judge Sunil Kumar Goyal of a special court in Alwar convicted Naresh, Vijay, Paramjeet and Dharmendra, and acquitted another accused “with the benefit of doubt”. The court said not enough evidence was produced against Nawal Kishor Sharma, the fifth suspect.
On June 21, Khan allegedly passed away following injuries. He was brought to the community health centre, where it was determined that he had passed away. During the assault on the previous night, his buddy Aslam was able to flee.
In accordance with IPC Sections 304(1) (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 341 (punishment for improper restraint), the court found the four guilty. The group will spend time in jail in addition to paying a fine of Rs 10,500 each.
Although Rakbar Khan and family welcomed the verdict, some were not happy with the sentence. “It appears the public prosecutor failed to argue the case properly. This is the reason why the accused got seven years instead of life imprisonment. We will appeal against this order in the high court,” said Sher Mohammed of Meo panchayat.
“Accused Nawal Kishor was acquitted… We will decide our next course of action related to appeal against the order after getting the final copy of the court judgment,” said Khan’s counsel Ashok Sharma. For his part, Nawal Kishor said he has full faith in the judiciary and will appeal against the conviction of “our fellows”.