UP govt seeks withdrawal of all charges against accused in Mohammad Akhlaq lynching case
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New Delhi: Ten years after the lynching of Mohammad Akhlaq in Uttar Pradesh’s Dadri, the state government has moved to withdraw all charges including murder against the men accused of killing him in 2015. Akhlaq, then 52, was dragged out of his home in Bisada village and lynched by a mob after rumours spread that he had slaughtered a cow and stored beef in his refrigerator.
According to an application filed before the upper sessions court in Gautam Buddha Nagar, the Uttar Pradesh government has sought to withdraw the case under Section 321 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, Outlook reported. Among the accused is Vishal Rana, son of local BJP leader Sanjay Rana.
The men had been booked under several sections of the Indian Penal Code now replaced by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita including: 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult), 506 (criminal intimidation).
The withdrawal application was filed on October 15 by Bhag Singh, Assistant District Government Counsel, following directions from the state government conveyed through a letter on August 26.
The state also informed the court that the Governor of Uttar Pradesh has given written approval to withdraw the prosecution. The application reiterates the government’s position that the meat recovered from Akhlaq’s house had been identified as beef by a government laboratory. A letter from Brijesh Kumar Mishra, Joint Director (Prosecution), instructing Singh to proceed with the withdrawal, was attached with the petition.
The matter is pending before the court, which must grant its consent before any charges can be formally dropped.
Akhlaq’s lynching on September 28, 2015, sparked nationwide outrage and became a defining moment in public debates on mob violence and rising communal tensions during the Modi decade.
As per reports from the time, a temple loudspeaker in Bisada allegedly announced that beef had been found in Akhlaq’s home. Soon after, a mob stormed the house. Akhlaq died on the spot, while his son Danish sustained critical injuries.
The incident triggered widespread protests across the country. Citizens organised “Not In My Name” marches, and political leaders, scholars, and activists described the lynching as a sign of eroding secular and democratic values. It later became a reference point for a series of similar attacks in northern India, where vigilante groups targeted Muslim men on allegations of cow slaughter or cattle transport.
The court will now hear the government’s withdrawal request. Only after the court’s consent can the charges against the accused be dropped.
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Will continue to keep tab on development work in Bihar: Nitish to JD(U) MLAs
Patna (PTI): JD(U) president Nitish Kumar on Monday told party legislators that he will continue to keep a tab on the development work in Bihar despite having given up the chief minister's post a week ago.
Kumar addressed a meeting of the legislative party at 1, Anney Marg, which is the official residence of the chief minister and which the JD(U) supremo, now a Rajya Sabha MP, had occupied for nearly two decades.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, JD(U) MLC and spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said, "Our party leader has said that except for sessions of Parliament, which would require his presence in Delhi, he will spend his maximum time in Bihar."
"Nitish Kumar told us that he will ensure that the good work done while he was in power continues under the new government, in which the JD(U) is an important partner. To keep a tab, he will tour the state in due course," Neeraj Kumar said.
The JD(U) spokesperson was asked about speculations that the meeting had been convened to decide on the role to be assigned to Nishant, the party supremo's son, who joined the JD(U) last month, but has declined to accept a ministerial berth in the Samrat Choudhary government.
"There is no confusion about the role of Nishant, who has been accepted by the party as the leader of the future. In any case, there was no discussion on him today," Neeraj Kumar said.
Nitish Kumar has been authorised by the legislators to decide on choosing the legislative party leader, he added.
Among those present at the meeting were Union minister and former JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh 'Lalan' and Deputy Chief Ministers Vijay Kumar Chaudhary and Bijendra Prasad Yadav.
Interestingly, don turned politician Anant Kumar Singh, who represents Mokama assembly seat, claimed after the meeting that MLAs were asked by the supreme leader to try and win "200 seats in the next elections".
"Nitish Kumar ji told us that he will now be more easily available for party workers and general public. He also said that he will extensively tour the state and asked us to work hard so that the party wins 200 seats in the next elections", said Singh, who is often in news for putting his foot in the mouth.
The Bihar assembly is 243-strong and the JD(U)'s current tally is 85, four less than ally BJP, which is the single largest party.
The JD(U)'s best-ever performance was in 2010, when it had contested 142 seats and won 115 of these. It was also the highest tally for any single party since Bihar's truncation in 2000, until when Jharkhand was part of the state and assembly had 324 seats.
