Agra : A Muzaffarnagar court has acquitted two men in two connected cases involving alleged cow slaughter and an attack on a police party, finding the prosecution’s version “doubtful” and observing that the allegations “could have been fabricated”, as none of the three policemen allegedly attacked sustained even a scratch.
The two trials were clubbed as they arose from the same incident, which occurred on Nov 22, 2014, according to the prosecution. Questioning the absence of independent witnesses, the court further noted that the incident allegedly took place around 8:10 am in a public area in the middle of the village, where 50 to 100 people had gathered.
Sub-inspector Babu Lal and two other police personnel were on patrol duty when an informer told them that accused Israr and Kamil, both residents of the Sherpur area under Kotwali police station, were allegedly slaughtering a cow outside Israr’s house. However, the court observed that despite the allegation that the accused had attacked three policemen with knives, “none of the police personnel or any other person sustained even a minor injury”. It said these circumstances cast “serious doubt” on the prosecution’s account.
When cops reached the spot, they allegedly found a slaughtered cow, its skin removed, along with its horns and hooves, and the two accused carrying knives. The prosecution claimed that when the police tried to arrest them, the accused attacked the police party with knives “with the intention of killing them. However, the prosecution neither produced any independent witness nor explained why none of those present were examined.
Pointing to serious gaps in the investigation, the court said the veterinary report and other material evidence were not duly proved. “It is difficult to believe that the accused would continue slaughtering a cow for nearly two hours in the presence of a large crowd without anyone objecting or the accused attempting to flee,” the court said. Holding that the prosecution had “failed to establish the charges beyond reasonable doubt”, additional district and sessions judge Anurag Panwar on Thursday acquitted Israr and Kamil, who were out on bail, in the cases registered under IPC sections 307 (attempt to murder), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from discharging their duty) and 353 (assault or use of criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging their duty), section 7 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act, and sections 3, 5 and 8 of the Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act.