Uttar Pradesh court acquits 2 men in cow slaughter after 10 yrs

Muzaffarnagar: A court in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, on Thursday acquitted two men accused of cow slaughter and assaulting police personnel, delivering its verdict nearly 10 years after the incident and citing serious doubts over the prosecution's version of events and major investigative lapses, Muslim Mirror reported.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Anurag Panwar cleared Israr and Kamil of all charges in cases dating back to November 22, 2014. Police had claimed that a patrol team received information about cow slaughter outside Israr's house in Sherpur village and found a slaughtered cow, along with its horns and hooves. The accused were also allegedly carrying knives.

The prosecution further alleged that the two men attacked the police personnel with knives when officers attempted to arrest them.

However, the court questioned the credibility of the alleged attack, noting that none of the three policemen or anyone else had sustained even minor injuries. It also flagged the prosecution's failure to produce independent witnesses despite the incident allegedly taking place in a public area where 50 to 100 people had gathered.

The judge also pointed to the failure to properly establish the veterinary report and other material evidence. The prosecution's account that the men continued slaughtering the cow for nearly two hours in front of a large crowd without anyone objecting or the accused attempting to flee was also found difficult to believe.

Israr and Kamil faced charges under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, the Criminal Law Amendment Act and the Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act. The court held that the prosecution had failed to establish their guilt beyond reasonable doubt.