One of the key accused in 2015 Dadri lynching case on Tuesday died in a hospital in Delhi where he was undergoing treatment for fever.
Accused Ravi aka Robin was in judicial custody and was taken to a hospital two days ago after he complained of some pain, police said.
He was one of the accused arrested after a local ironsmith Mohammed Akhlaq was lynched by a mob in Dadri’s Bisada village over a rumour that he and his family had consumed beef.
Ravi was admitted to a Noida hospital two days ago but was later shifted to Delhi when his condition worsened. The police said he was suffering from a vector-borne disease, either Dengue or Chilungunya.
Police added that he was also suffering from kidney disease and diabetes complaint followed with respiratory problems.
His family has alleged foul play saying that he was beaten up in jail and the jailor is responsible for his death, a report by private TV channel said.
A post-mortem will be conducted tomorrow to ascertain the exact cause of death. A judicial enquiry will also be set up since he died in judicial custody.
A mob had lynched 52-year-old Mohammad Akhlaq and injured his son Danish after dragging them out of their home in Bishada village on September 28, 2015, following rumours that they had slaughtered a cow and consumed beef.
The incident created outrage across the country leading to a heated debate on ‘rising intolerance’ in the country.
A total of 19 persons were accused in the case. Of these, one was given a clean chit by police and let off. Two minors were also bailed out by courts.
The remaining 16 accused were lodged in jail.
On June 9 this year, a local court in Greater Noida had ordered the police to register an FIR against Akhlaq’s family for alleged cow slaughter on a plea by a resident of Bisada village.
Police had taken samples of meat recovered from Akhlaq’s home as well as a place near his house where carcass of an animal was found.
In a purported report by government laboratory in July confirmed that the meat samples it received for testing were of “a cow or its progeny”. It, however, did not specify if the samples were from Akhlaq’s home or from outside.
Akhlaq’s family, however, said that the reported ‘beef’ samples were not recovered from their home and were part of a conspiracy to frame the family.
