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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Tripura student's partner put sanitiser in her private parts, filmed her nude: Gurugram police
Gurugram (PTI): Days after a 19-year-old woman from Tripura was hospitalised in a serious condition following an assault by her live-in partner, police on Sunday said that the accused also burned her private parts using sanitiser and filmed her nude.
The woman’s mother alleged that the accused, who befriended her daughter online and had promised to marry her, confined her to a room for three days and even forced her to drink urine.
According to police, the woman’s condition is now stable.
The accused, Shivam (19), a resident of Delhi’s Narela, was arrested on Thursday based on an FIR registered against him at the Badshahpur police station.
The woman’s mother, a police officer in Tripura, claimed that on February 16, around 10 pm, she received a distress call from her daughter.
My daughter told me, "I don't have time, I will be killed... Shivam has been beating me and burning me for the last three days. He will kill me today."
The mother further alleged that the accused confined her daughter to a room for three days and tortured her. She also accused Shivam of forcing her daughter to drink urine and burning her private parts using sanatiser.
She said the accused also stabbed her daughter multiple times.
The mother then approached the Gurugram police, who rescued her daughter.
"My daughter is very bright in her studies. She had come to Gurugram to study. However, Shivam lured her into a trap through an online app. My daughter's condition is very serious,” she said, adding that strict action should be taken against the accused.
Earlier, police said that Shivam had allegedly established physical relations with the woman who is a college student, promising her marriage.
The couple had been living together in a paying guest accommodation in Sector 69 for the last few months. During this period, he allegedly began assaulting her after suspecting her of cheating.
A Gurugram Police spokesperson said the case has been marked for close monitoring.
“Charges of rape and assault have already been added to the FIR, and the accused has been sent to jail. Further investigation is underway,” he said.
The spokesperson added that the woman’s condition is now stable.
Police had said that on February 19, the couple had an altercation after which the accused assaulted the woman, severely injuring her. Upon receiving a call from her mother police reached the flat and rescued her.
The accused allegedly attacked the victim in a fit of rage, suspecting her of cheating on him, police had said.
The woman was initially admitted to AIIMS-Delhi and is currently undergoing treatment at Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi, police said.
