Hapur local court sentences ten people to life in prison for mob lynching
On Tuesday, a Hapur municipal court sentenced ten defendants to life in jail for the lynching of a meat vendor due to rumors of cow slaughter. In June 2018, the mob assassinated 45-year-old Qasim Qureshi. Samaydeen, 62, was another victim hurt in the mob violence.
The victims said they had no personal animosity against the defendants and had not requested the death sentence for them.
Sections 302 (murder), 149 (unlawful assembly), 307 (attempt to kill), 149, 147 (rioting), 148 (carrying a lethal weapon), and 153A (inciting hatred amongst various groups on the basis of religion) of the Indian Penal Code were utilized by the court to find the accused parties guilty. Each of the convicted individuals was additionally fined ~58,000 by the court.
In 2018, Samaydeen filed a petition with the Supreme Court requesting an exhaustive investigation into the assault, after the police’s attempt in their first information report to attribute the lynching on a motorbike accident.
The SC then gave the Inspector General of Police, Meerut region, instructions to make sure the investigation complies with the directives given in the Tehseen Poonawallah case ruling regarding hate crimes and mob lynchings.
After images allegedly showing the victims being dragged on the ground in front of police went viral on social media, the crime caused a national stir.
The UP police then apologized on social media and said that staff members who were there but did nothing to help the victim will face consequences.
