Ashok Gehlot orders reprobe into Pehlu Khan lynching case, to appeal against acquittals also
Jaipur, Aug 16: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday ordered a fresh investigation into the 2017 Pehlu Khan lynching case and decided to follow it up with an appeal against the acquittal of all six accused in the case by an Alwar court two days ago.
The chief minister also set up a Special Investigation Team under the supervision of state's additional director general of police (Crime) and decided to hire the services of a senior lawyer to guide the probe, besides preparing grounds for appeal in the case.
The chief minister took the decision in a high-level review meeting held for examining the shortcomings in the probe and the findings of the court, said an official statement.
The review meeting, chaired by the chief minister, was attended by Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Rajeeva Swarup, Director General of Police Bhupendra Singh, Principal Secretary (Law) Mahavir Prasad Sharma and Additional Director General of Police (Crime) B L Soni.
The SIT, set up on the chief minister's order, will submit its report within 15 days, the statement added.
The chief minister's decision followed two days after an Alwar court acquitted all six persons, accused of leading a mob of suspected cow vigilantes to attack and lynch 55-year-old Pehlu Khan, a dairy farmer from Nuh district of Haryana. Khan was lynched near Alwar while returning to his home town in Haryana after buying cattle from Rajasthan.
The Alwar court on Wednesday acquitted all six adults accused in the case, giving them the benefit of the doubt. Three other juveniles allegedly involved in the case are still facing enquiry by a Juvenile Justice Board.
The government statement said the SIT will also identify errors and irregularities in the investigation and fix the responsibility for botched up investigation on individual officers.
The SIT will also gather important oral and documentary evidence, left out or ignored in earlier probe, it added.
DIG (Special Operation Group) Nitin Deep Ballagan will head the special probe team, which will also include SP (CID-CB) Sameer Kumar Singh and ASP (Vigilance) Sameer Dubey.
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PM Modi speaks to Iranian president, discusses 'serious' situation in West Asia
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday night spoke to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian over the phone and discussed the "serious situation" in West Asia.
Modi expressed deep concern over the escalation of tensions in the region and the loss of civilian lives as well as damage to civilian infrastructure.
The prime minister told the Iranian President that the safety and security of Indian nationals, along with the need for unhindered transit of goods and energy, remain India's top priorities.
“Had a conversation with Iranian President, Dr Masoud Pezeshkian, to discuss the serious situation in the region. Expressed deep concern over the escalation of tensions and the loss of civilian lives as well as damage to civilian infrastructure,” Modi said in a post on X.
The prime minister also reiterated India's commitment to peace and stability and urged dialogue and diplomacy to end the crisis.
The prime minister had spoken to leaders of several West Asian countries in the last 10 days in the wake of the coordinated offensive launched against Iran by the United States and Israel, in which the Islamic country's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, was killed last month.
In retaliation, Iran has fired drones and missiles at Israel and US military installations around the Gulf region, including the global business and aviation hubs of Dubai and Doha.
Modi earlier spoke to the leaders of Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, Israel and Qatar, and expressed concern over the attacks on their countries, and condemned the violation of some nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He also discussed the welfare and security of the Indian community residing in those countries.
Around 1 crore Indians live in the Gulf and West Asia. While about 10,000 Indian citizens live, study and work in Iran, more than 40,000 live in Israel.
