Dadri lynching: Lab report says meat found in Ikhlaq’s fridge was beef

Noida: A report prepared by a forensic laboratory has confirmed that the meat found in Dadri lynching victim Mohammad Ikhlaq’s house was from a “cow or its progeny”, Hindustan Times reported on Tuesday.

Police had sent a sample of the meat from his home to a Mathura laboratory for forensic tests to check if it was beef. Eating beef is not illegal in Uttar Pradesh, where Dadri is located, although the slaughter of cows is banned.

The report quoted the police that they had asked for the forensic report for the purpose of their investigation. “We are investigating the case of Ikhlaq’s murder and not cow slaughter. Sending the meat to forensic test was to establish the motive behind the incident,” the report quoted a police official.

In an initial report last year, a local government veterinarian had said that the flesh “looks like mutton”.

Fifty-two-year-old Ikhlaq and his son Danish were attacked by a mob at Bisada village in Dadri over rumours that they had slaughtered a cow in September last year.

Ikhlaq had died of injuries at a hospital, while his son survived with a fractured skull. The incident sparked a nationwide debate over intolerance and beef politics. It also triggered a chain of protests across the country, with prominent writers, film-makers and scientists returning their awards.