The 2017 Alwar mob lynching was the attack and murder of Pehlu Khan, a
dairy farmer
Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a history that ...
from
Nuh district
Nuh district (formerly known as Mewat district) is one of the 22 districts in the Indian state of Haryana. There are four sub-divisions in this district: Nuh, Ferozepur Jhirka, Punahana, and Taoru. It has an area of and had a population of 1. ...
of
Haryana
Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land ar ...
, allegedly by a group of 200
cow vigilantes affiliated with right-wing
Hindutva
Hindutva () is the predominant form of Hindu nationalism in India. The term was formulated as a political ideology by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in 1923. It is used by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), the ...
groups in
Behror
Behror () is a city in the Alwar district of Rajasthan. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the eponymous Behror Tehsil. Situated 120 km south-west of national capital, New Delhi, and part of the National Capital Region, it al ...
in
Alwar
Alwar (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Hindi and Urdu, lʋəɾ is a city located in India's National Capital Region (India), National Capital Region and the administrative headquarters of Alwar district, Alwar District in the state of Rajasthan. ...
,
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...
, India on 1 April, 2017.
Six others who were with Pehlu Khan were also beaten by the cow vigilantes.
Background
Cows
Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...
are considered sacred in Hinduism and several Indian states ban their slaughter including Haryana, the home state of the victim, and Rajasthan, where the lynching took place. There have been instances of
cattle theft in India
Cattle theft, more commonly cattle raiding or cattle lifting, is a property crime in India. In the ancient and medieval era India texts, stealing cattle is described as a crime and sin, a motif that appears in Hindu mythologies.
In the colonial a ...
and several
Hindu vigilante groups have arisen, especially during the
administration
Administration may refer to:
Management of organizations
* Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal
** Administrative assistant, Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an admini ...
of the
Hindu nationalist
Hindu nationalism has been collectively referred to as the expression of social and political thought, based on the native spiritual and cultural traditions of the Indian subcontinent. "Hindu nationalism" or the correct term ''Hindū rāṣṭ ...
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Modi ...
, in the name of protecting cattle from theft. These vigilante groups have extra-judicially targeted people suspected of cattle smuggling, though most victims of such violence have been Muslim livestock traders. At the time of the attack, Rajasthan and the neighboring state of Haryana were ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party, and cow vigilante groups were particularly active in these states.
Incident
The victim was Pehlu Khan, a 55-year old resident Jaisinghpur village, in
Nuh tehsil of
Mewat
Mewat is a historical region of Haryana and Rajasthan states in northwestern India. The loose boundaries of Mewat generally include Hathin tehsil and Nuh district of Haryana, Alwar (Tijara, Kishangarh, Bas, Ramgarh, Laxmangarh, Kathumar tehsil ...
. On 31 March, he left his village for
Jaipur
Jaipur (; Hindi Language, Hindi: ''Jayapura''), formerly Jeypore, is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Rajasthan. , the city had a pop ...
to purchase
dairy cattle
Dairy cattle (also called dairy cows) are cattle bred for the ability to produce large quantities of milk, from which dairy products are made. Dairy cattle generally are of the species ''Bos taurus''.
Historically, little distinction was mad ...
. Khan was one of only 10 dairy farmers in his village, and he was hoping to increase milk production for the upcoming holy month of
Ramadan
, type = islam
, longtype = Religious
, image = Ramadan montage.jpg
, caption=From top, left to right: A crescent moon over Sarıçam, Turkey, marking the beginning of the Islamic month of Ramadan. Ramadan Quran reading in Bandar Torkaman, Iran. ...
.
On 1 April, Khan, along with six others, was returning from Jaipur to his village in
Nuh, Haryana, carrying cows and calves. They were allegedly stopped near Jaguwas crossing near Behror at the
Jaipur-Delhi national highway by 200 cow vigilantes. Khan showed a Jaipur civic document as proof the cows had been bought for milk.
According to Irshad, the son of Pehlu Khan who with him, "We had all the relevant papers to show that we were carrying the cows for dairy farming. We showed them the receipt of sale and purchase. But they were in no mood to listen to us. They tore our documents and attacked my father in front of my eyes."
Despite the documentation, Khan and others were dragged out of their vehicles.
[ The mob beat them with rods and sticks and captured the violence on video.][ Pehlu Khan died from his injuries days later on 3 April, 2017, whilst others, though seriously injured, survived.]
The perpetrators also reportedly robbed the victims of their cellphones and wallets (the victims said they lost Rs. 110,000).
Arrests and trial
An F.I.R.
F.I.R. () is a Taiwanese pop rock band formed in 2004. The band consists of Lydia (lead vocals), Ian Chen (keyboards), and Real Huang (guitar, vocals). Producer Ian Chen formed his own band then recruited the other two members to form F.I.R. The ...
was filed at the local Behror police station by Khan against six identified and 200 unidentified persons. Though arrests were only made on 5 April, after Khan's death two days prior, when the Rajasthan Police
The Rajasthan Police is the law enforcement agency for the state of Rajasthan in India. The Rajasthan Police has its headquarters in Jaipur, the state capital. The motto of the force is "committed to serve".
History
History of Indian poli ...
arrested three people; Kalu Ram, Vipin Yadav and Ravindra Yadav on the basis of video footage recorded by the assailants, they were subsequently granted bail in the following months. Further arrests of Dayanand Yadav and Neeraj Yadav were made on 8 April.
The case was ultimately transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is the branch of a police force to which most plainclothes detectives belong in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth nations. A force's CID is distinct from its Special Branch (though officers of b ...
-Crime Branch (CID-CB) after multiple delays and changes in four investigating officers. In the final report submitted to the police on September 1, the CID exonerated the six persons - the aforementioned and another Bheem Rathi. In the chargesheet
In policing on the Indian subcontinent, a chargesheet is prepared after First Information Reports (FIRs), and charges an individual for (some or all of) the crimes specified in those FIR(s).
Once the charge sheet has been submitted to a court ...
submitted by the police to the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate of Behror in May, 2019, they also reportedly charged Khan's two sons and his transporter under the ''Rajasthan Bovine Animal (Prohibition of Slaughter and Regulation of Temporary Migration or Export) Act, 1995''. This was denied by the Chief Minister of Rajasthan
The chief minister of Rajasthan is the head of government, chief executive of the Indian state of Rajasthan. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the Governors of states of India, governor is a state's ''de jure'' head, but ''de facto' ...
Ashok Gehlot
Ashok Gehlot (born 3 May 1951) politician serving as the current Chief Minister of Rajasthan. He held this position from December 1998 to 2003, and from 2008 to 2013, and again from 17 December 2018. He represents Sardarpura constituency of Jo ...
and the charges were withdrawn. At the trial court
A trial court or court of first instance is a court having original jurisdiction, in which trials take place. Appeals from the decisions of trial courts are usually made by higher courts with the power of appellate review (appellate courts). Mos ...
of the Additional District Judge, Alwar all of the original six accused were acquitted in August, 2019 on basis of " benefit of doubt". This was attributed by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties on the lack of forensics done by the police on the video recording of the killing by the assailants. The case was subsequently appealed to the Rajasthan High Court
The Rajasthan High Court is the High Court of the state of Rajasthan. It was established on 29 August 1949 under the ''Rajasthan High Court Ordinance, 1949''.
The seat of the court is at Jodhpur. The court has a sanctioned judge strength of 50. ...
where it remains as of 2021.
Response
The incident was widely condemned, and many called for the government to crack down on cow-protection vigilante groups. The Supreme Court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
issued notices on 7 April, 2017 to Rajasthan along with four other Indian states (Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
, Jharkhand
Jharkhand (; ; ) is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It has an area of . It ...
, Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
and Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
) and to the central government asking for a ban on cow vigilante groups. Home Minister Rajnath Singh
Rajnath Singh (; born 10 July 1951) is an Indian politician serving as the Defence Minister of India. He is currently the Deputy Leader of the House Lok Sabha. He is the former President of Bharatiya Janata Party. He has previously served as t ...
has assured justice for the lynching incident.
Rajasthan's Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria
Gulab Chand Kataria (born 13 October 1944) is an Indian politician who is serving as the 29th Governor of Assam since 2023. He was the Home minister in Government of Rajasthan from 2014 till 2018. He is a senior leader of BJP in Rajasthan and i ...
defended the cow vigilantes, describing their deed as "alright" and blaming the victims for illegally transporting animals though the victims had documents from Jaipur Municipal Corporation
Jaipur Municipal Corporation or Jaipur Nagar Nigam is municipal corporation of Jaipur city in Rajasthan state in India. Jaipur Municipal Corporation is responsible for maintaining the city's civic infrastructure and carrying out associated admin ...
for the purchase of cows. Initially, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi (born 15 October 1957) is an Indian politician and was the Union Minister of Minority Affairs. He had served as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha from 2002 to 2022 and was Deputy Leader of the House in Rajya Sab ...
also denied the incident and stated "Alwar gau rakshak ow protectionattack did not happen", but later admitted the incident and tried to clarify his earlier remark. Federal Minister Hansraj Ahir
Hansraj Ahir is an Indian politician and current Chairman of the National Commission for Backward classes. He is a former Union Minister of State for Home Affairs and Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers in the First Modi Ministry. ...
condemned the incident. Congress vice President Rahul Gandhi
Rahul Gandhi ( ; born 19 June 1970) is an Indian politician and a member of the Indian Parliament, representing the constituency of Wayanad, Kerala in the 17th Lok Sabha. A member of the Indian National Congress, he served as the president of ...
condemned the killing.
Sadhvi
''Sadhu'' ( sa, साधु, IAST: ' (male), ''sādhvī'' or ''sādhvīne'' (female)), also spelled ''saddhu'', is a religious ascetic, mendicant or any holy person in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism who has renounced the worldly life. The ...
Kamal Didi praised the vigilantes accused of carrying out the lynching. Kamal Didi is the president of Rasthriya Mahila Gau Rakshak Dal, a cow-protection group. She equated the accused to popular historical Indian figures like Bhagat Singh
Bhagat Singh (27 September 1907 – 23 March 1931) was a charismatic Indian revolutionary*
* who participated in the mistaken murder of a junior British police officer
*
* in what was to be retaliation for the death of an Indian nationa ...
and Chandra Shekhar Azad
Chandra Shekhar Tiwari ( (23 July 1906 – 27 February 1931), popularly known as Chandra Shekhar Azad, was an Indian revolutionary who reorganised the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) under its new name of Hindustan Socialist Republican ...
, saying the vigilantes of today will "be known as heroes in the future".
See also
* Cow vigilante violence in India
In India, cow vigilante violence is the use of physical force in the name of " cow protection". Since 2014, mob attacks targeting mostly illegal cow smugglers, but in some cases even licensed cow traders, have become prominent.
There is a debate o ...
* Mob lynching
Lynching is an extrajudicial killing by a group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged transgressor, punish a convicted transgressor, or intimidate people. It can also be an ex ...
* Tabrez Ansari lynching
On 17 June 2019, 24-year-old Tabrez Ansari was attacked by a lynch mob in Jharkhand, India. Ansari, a Muslim, was tied to a tree, brutally beaten and forced to chant Hindu religious slogans. He died four days later. The incident came to ligh ...
* 2017 Pratapgarh lynching
* 2016 Jharkhand mob lynching
2016 Jharkhand mob lynching refers to the case of lynching of two Muslim cattle traders by allegedly cattle-protecting vigilantes in Balumath forests of Latehar district in the Indian state of Jharkhand on 18 March 2016. The attackers killed 32 y ...
* 2015 Dimapur mob lynching
The 2015 Dimapur mob lynching was a case of mob lynching that took place in Dimapur, Nagaland, India, on 5 March 2015. A mob of about 7000–8000 people broke into a prison, dragged a man detained under Accused of rape out of the Dimapur Centra ...
* Cattle in religion
Due to the multiple benefits from cattle, there are varying beliefs about cattle in societies and religions. In some regions, especially most states of India, the slaughter of cattle is prohibited and their meat may be taboo.
Cattle are consider ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alwar mob lynching
Alwar district
Alwar
Alwar (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Hindi and Urdu, lʋəɾ is a city located in India's National Capital Region (India), National Capital Region and the administrative headquarters of Alwar district, Alwar District in the state of Rajasthan. ...
April 2017 crimes in Asia
April 2017 events in India
Crime in Rajasthan
Alwar
Alwar (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Hindi and Urdu, lʋəɾ is a city located in India's National Capital Region (India), National Capital Region and the administrative headquarters of Alwar district, Alwar District in the state of Rajasthan. ...
Alwar
Alwar (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Hindi and Urdu, lʋəɾ is a city located in India's National Capital Region (India), National Capital Region and the administrative headquarters of Alwar district, Alwar District in the state of Rajasthan. ...
Religiously motivated violence in India
Murder in India
2017 murders in India
Hinduism-motivated violence in India
Deaths by person in India
Deaths by beating
Alwar
Filmed killings in Asia
Lynchings in India