Rajasthan lynching: SC asks CBI to seek instruction on widow's plea

The Supreme Court on Friday asked the CBI to seek instructions from the Central government on conducting a probe and providing adequate compensation to the widow of a Muslim labourer, who was hacked and burnt alive in Rajasthan last year.

Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice A.M. Khanwilkar directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to inform it about the issue raised by Gulbahar Bibi, wife of 50-year-old Afrazul Khan who was from West Bengal.

The woman also sought an independent probe into the murder and direction that the video of the ghastly murder be withdrawn from the internet and social media sites.

Appearing for Gulbahar Bibi, senior advocate Indira Jaising asked the court to transfer the probe from Rajasthan to West Bengal which the judges said would be decided later.

The apex court had earlier termed as "horrendous" the video of Khan being hacked and burnt alive in Rajsamand district.

The petition sought appointment of a Special Public Prosecutor to conduct the trial and transfer of the investigation to Malda district in West Bengal where Bibi resides.

Khan was killed allegedly by Shambhulal Regar on December 6 last year and the entire murder was recorded by the minor nephew of the accused, who is in judicial custody.

After killing Khan, Regar was seen in the video saying he did it to stop Love Jihad -- a term used to refer to Muslim men marrying Hindu women.

The plea said: "The petitioner is aggrieved by the limited investigation being conducted by the Rajasthan Police into the murder of her husband since its videography and uploading as well as dissemination of the same is more inhuman and gruesome than the murder itself which is beyond the scope of the present investigation agency so the real guilty will never be brought to the book."

--IANS

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