Mohammed Akhlaq. Credit: Twitter
Sartaj Ahmad, son of Mohammed Akhlaq, has alleged that that meat sample seized from their house was swapped out for another one before it was sent for testing. Akhlaq was lynched to death in Dadri, based on a rumour that he was eating beef. A Mathura forensic laboratory has said in its report that the meat tested belonged to a “cow or its progeny”.
Ahmad is in the Indian Air Force.
According to an Indian Express report, Ahmad, who is in Lucknow at the moment, said he wants a probe into how the sample was recovered and the procedure of sending it to the laboratory. The family is also planning to move the Allahabad high court, asking for the charges of cow slaughter and animal cruelty against them to be dropped. The case against the family was filed on orders from a local court earlier this month.
“The meat seized from near my house was not handled properly by the police team. There is also some confusion over the meat seized and the one sent for laboratory test. We have demanded further probe into the murder case of my father. Police should probe facts related to the recovery of the meat,” Indian Express quoted Ahmad as saying.
Ahmad also questioned the details of the meat tested. The initial veterinary college report said that two kg of meat was found, but the Mathura forensic lab said it was five kg, NDTV reported. “How is this possible?” NDTV quoted Ahmad as saying.
The family’s lawyer, Mohammad Asad Hayat, added to Ahmad’s claims, Indian Express reported. “Police did not seal the box when they collected the meat. It was sent to the district veterinary department, which had in its report said it was mutton. The department had sent a plastic box to the police, but the police sent the sample in a jar to the Mathura lab, which said the sample was beef,” he said.