After 37-year-old Mohammad Shahideen Qureshi was killed by a mob over allegations of cow slaughter, police arrested the victim’s friend Mohammad Adnan in a case of cow slaughter.
According to the reports, Adnan who was with Qureshi at the time of the incident and managed to escape from the mob violence was arrested on Wednesday, January 1. However, the police have yet to make any arrests related to the murder of Qureshi.
The police registered two separate First Information Reports (FIRs) one for cow slaughter against the victim Shahideen Qureshi and the violence survivor Adnan, and another murder FIR lodged by the Qureshi’s brother Mohammad Shahjad against unidentified attackers.
“We took suo motu cognisance and registered an FIR against Qureshi and Mohammad Adnan, 29, for cow slaughter,” The Indian Express quoted Majhola Station House Officer Mohit Chaudhary.
“Of these, one FIR was lodged by deceased Qureshi’s brother, Mohammad Shahjad, under IPC section 302 which deals with murder against unidentified persons. The second one was registered at Majhola police station for cow slaughter,” he added.
“In this regard, as of now, nobody has been arrested in connection with the killing of Qureshi,” TIE quoted the additional superintendent of police as saying.
Further, the police offer claimed that Adnan admitted to killing an “ox” during the interrogation.
“He said that people around them saw them and responded violently, but he managed to escape while Qureshi was caught,” Singh said.
Vijay Singh also claimed this was not a case of lynching. “Technical definition of lynching is if someone is killed over caste, creed, religion, but here the mob didn’t know his [ShahIdeen’s] religion. So how can it be called lynching?” said a report by The Print.
Reports suggest that Qureshi was severely beaten by the mob allegedly with sticks, punches, and kicks, leaving him unconscious. A video of the assault emerged on social media where a grievously injured Qureshi is lying on the ground, unable to move, with blood all over.
Although he was rushed to a district hospital in Meerut, he succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday, December 31.
Qureshi was a bodybuilder by profession and had participated in several competitions. He is survived by his wife, Rizwana, and three minor sons Aaram, Aashi and Ibjaan.
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