Greater Noida: Tension returned to Bishada village in Dadri after nine months of peace as a group of villagers today moved court seeking registration of a FIR against the family members of Mohammad Akhlaq for allegedly slaughtering a cow.
Akhlaq, 50, was lynched last year on suspicion that his family stored and ate beef at their house.
Last week, ignoring police orders, a group of BJP and Shiv Sena politicians led a village meeting or mahapanchayat demanding action against the family of Mohammed Akhlaq. Many fear this would give rise to a new round of communal tension in Dadri, just 50 km from Delhi.
"Bisada residents today gave an application to the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar under Section 156(3) of CrPC with a request to direct the police to lodge an FIR against Akhlaq's family members," a Senior Prosecution Officer said.
Section 156(3) empowers a magistrate to order an FIR and consequent investigation by the police against those named in the complaint.
The demand comes after a lab report on May 31 established that the meat found in the Dadri lynching victim’s house was that of a cow or its progeny. Since the report became public, the villagers, supported by some local leaders, had been pushing for a mahapanchayat and Dadri had been put on high alert.
The court will hear the matter on June 13, the Prosecution Officer said.
"Akhlaq's family members will be given the opportunity to submit their reply and then the court will decide whether there is need for directing police to lodge FIR," he said.
At the last week's mahapanchayat, the villagers had given an ultimatum to police to file an FIR against Akhlaq's family members within 20 days, after a report of a forensic lab in Mathura concluded that the meat found in the victim's house was of "cow or its progeny".
With PTI Inputs
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