The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday, August 20, rejected the bail plea for prime accused Naresh Kumar in the 2017 mob lynching case involving 16-year-old Junaid Khan.
“This Court, looking at the gravity of the offence, is of the considered view that safe and secure atmosphere ought to be extended to the eye witnesses to be examined, before the request of bail is considered,” said chief justice Sheel Nagu.
Junaid Khan lynching case
On June 22, 2017, Junaid, his brother Hasim and two cousins, Moin and Mausim, were returning on a Mathura-bound train from Delhi after completing Eid shopping.
As the train neared Faridabad, the brothers got into an argument with some passengers who ordered them to vacate their seats.
Sensing trouble, the brothers decided to deboard at Faridabad. Unfortunately, they failed due to a heavy passenger rush.
The argument between Junaid’s brothers and the other passengers turned into abuse and quickly snowballed into a violent attack. His brothers were attacked with knives, following which Junaid tried to calm the tension.
However, the enraged mob quickly turned to the teenager and mercilessly stabbed him multiple times, much to the horror of his brothers and other passengers.
When the train stopped at Asaoti railway station, Junaid was thrown out of the train and was declared dead when he reached the hospital.
Although early accounts described the incident as a dispute over seats, many reports later indicated the brothers were attacked solely for being Muslims.
An FIR was registered the following day, and on July 29, Rameshwar, Pardeep, Gaurav, and Chander Parkash were arrested.
Prime accused Naresh Kumar, a daily-wage security guard from Palwal working in Delhi, was arrested in Maharashtra.
All were charged with murder, culpable homicide, and uttering words intended to hurt religious feelings.
While Naresh Kumar’s bail has been repeatedly denied by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Rameshwar, Pardeep, Gaurav, and Chander Parkash were granted bail after spending about a year in jail.
The incident sent shockwaves across the country as it was one of the first reported cases of mob lynchings and religious hate crimes.
Follow on Twitter | Posted by Veena Nair | 
