Pehlu Khan Case: Court declares accompanied men guilty for cow smuggling

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Three men, who were travelling with Pehlu Khan when a mob of vigilantes lynched him, have been accused of offences related to cow smuggling in a charge sheet filed by the Rajasthan Police in a court in Alwar's Behror town, officials said.

A fourth man, who owned the vehicle in which Khan and others were transporting bovines, has also been named in the charge sheet, they said.

The charge sheet was put up before the additional chief judicial magistrate in Behror town of Alwar district on January 24.

Khan's lynching in April last year had led to a massive furore. Following his death, the police had registered two cases one against the vigilantes over his killing, and another against Khan and his companions for allegedly being involved in cow smuggling.

In the charge sheet, the police has claimed that on the basis of statements of witnesses and evidence, offences under some sections the Rajasthan Bovine Animal (Prohibition of Slaughter and Regulation of Temporary Migration or Export) Act, 1995 were made out against Azmat, Rafique and Arjun Lal Yadav, according to official sources.

Offences under section 6 of the Act have been found proved against Jagdish Prasad, the father of Arjun Lal Yadav, the chargesheet states.

According to Section 6, the transporter is also an abettor and liable for the same punishment as the person committing the offence.

Azmat and Rafique are from Khan's village, Jaisinghpur, in Haryana. They were accompanying Pehlu Khan when he was attacked and lynched.

Yadav was driving one of the two pickup trucks that were attacked on April 1 while the fourth accused is his father Jagdish Prasad, who had the truck registered in his name.

The investigating Officer in the case claimed that the accused men were found guilty of smuggling cows as they did not possess valid documents for transporting bovines.

"I have the valid purchase receipt issued by the Jaipur Municipal Corporation. At the time of the purchase, nobody told us we needed additional permits. We were attacked and beaten up by the mob and now we have been made accused," said Azmat.

According to the Rajasthan Bovine Animal (Prohibition of Slaughter and Regulation of Temporary Migration or Export) Act, the collector of a district or any other officer authorised by the state government can issue permits for migration of bovines outside Rajasthan.

Pehlu Khan and others were returning from a cattle fair on Jaipur's outskirts to their homes in Haryana when they were attacked by cow vigilantes in Behror.

The mob, calling Pehlu Khan and his companions cattle smugglers, assaulted them. Pehlu Khan died two days later and a video documenting the lynching went viral.

Nine men were charged for the murder of Khan after police identified them from video footage. The case is pending before a court. Another investigation in September last year had cleared six others, who were named by Khan in the FIR as his assailants.