Youth gets three years in jail for assaulting cops

Mumbai: A sessions court in Akola on Tuesday sentenced a youth to three years’ imprisonment for assaulting three policemen for enforcing beef ban.

The court, however, acquitted him and two others, including a maulana, of charges of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). The ATS had claimed that the maulana had provoked the accused through hate speeches and as a result of which the accused were indulging in Unlawful Activities.

Advocate Ali Raza Khan who represented accused on behalf of Association for Protection of Civil Rights, an NGO said, “There was no iota of evidence on record to prove that maulana Salim Malik, arrested post the assault incident, had ever delivered any hate speech or  encouraged youths to join terrorist organisations. The court has now accepted this and has acquitted both from all charges.”

He further said that the court has convicted Abdul Mallik Abdul Razzaque under section 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) and sentenced him to thr-ee years of imprisonment, which he has already undergone. According to advocate Khan the court has acquitted Mallik from charge of 307 (attempt to murder) as well as UAPA.

The prosecution case is that on September 25, 2015, police were posted outside Mohammediya Masjid in Yavatmal for bandobast for Bakri Eid. After Eid namaz, a youth attacked a policemen with knife and two others after they tried to prevent him from assaulting the policemen.

The police arrested him and it was found that he was influenced by Jihadis so the case was transferred to the ATS.

During probe, police arrested Salim Malik alias Hafiz Mujib-ur-Rehman and Shoeb for influencing Abdul Mallik carry out unlawful activities. Howe-ver, the court on Tuesday acquitted both of them.

Soon he was overpowered with the help of local public and he told that he attacked the policemen because they enforced beef ban.