Dadri twist: It was beef, says new lab report

The forensic laboratory of the Uttar Pradesh University of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry in Mathura on Tuesday claimed that the meat recovered from the house of Dadri lynching victim Mohammad Ikhlaq was from a “cow or its progeny”, triggering reactions on the controversial issue six months earlier, the preliminary report of a district veterinary officer had said the meat had been “mutton”.

While 52-year-old Ikhlaq was killed in the mob attack, his son Danish survived with a fractured skull. The police had arrested 18 people, including two juveniles, following the attack.

BJP MP Sangeet Som demanded that cases be filed against the victim’s family as “cow slaughter is banned in UP”. Mr Som, an accused in the Muzaffarnagar riots case, made it clear that he will “meet the accused to provide legal help”.

The victim’s family refused to accept the report. Speaking to this newspaper, Ikhlaq’s son Sartaj Saifi, working with the Indian Air Force, refused to accept the report. “This report is false and my father has not done anything against the law,” he said, adding that he wanted to “check the authenticity of this report”.

Sanjay Rana, a BJP member and father of the prime accused, Vishal, claimed his son and others were “falsely implicated” and “cases should be lodged against Ikhlaq’s family”. Mr Som told this newspaper that “by slaughtering a cow, the family (Iklhaq’s family) had hurt the feelings and sentiments of a community and provoked communal tension”. “This (lynching) was not pre-meditated” but a “repercussion for hurting religious sentiments,” he said.

The victim’s lawyer, Mr Yusuf Saifi, said, “The forensic report of the meat will have no impact on the case as the accused are booked under murder and attempt to murder cases.” He pointed out that Danish, who survived, has already “identified the accused in his statement to the magistrate”.

The police also said the forensic report has “nothing to do with the case”. “We are investigating the case of Ikhlaq’s murder and not cow slaughter,” the police said. A police official maintained that the meat was sent for testing “merely to establish the motive behind the mob attack”. The accused have been charged with murder, attempt to murder and molestation, among others.

The accused and their political sympathisers are now preparing to file a case against the victim’s family for cow slaughter, which is banned in UP. The eating of beef is not banned, though.

At about 10.30 pm on September 28 last year, a mob armed with sticks attacked the house of Ikhlaq on the basis of a rumour.

At that time, Ikhlaq was present in the house along with his wife, daughter, mother and son Danish. As per police records, a mob of 50 ransacked his house, beat up the family members, dragged Ikhlaq out of the house and started beating him with sticks and bricks. The women in the house were allegedly molested. After the attack, the police was informed, which then took Ikhlaq to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

The incident had sparked off a major nationwide debate over intolerance and beef eating.