On Tuesday (March 12), a Sessions Court in Uttar Pradesh rendered a verdict in the 2018 Hapur lynching case, wherein ten individuals were found guilty of the murder of 45-year-old Qasim and the assault of 62-year-old Samiudeen based on a false rumor of cow slaughter.
Additional Sessions Judge Hapur convicted all ten defendants under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including Sections 302/149, 307/149, 147, 148, and 153A. They have been sentenced to life imprisonment along with a fine of Rs. 58,000 each.
Noteworthy is the fact that the victims did not seek the death penalty for the convicts, expressing that they held no enmity against them and only sought justice. Advocates Vrinda Grover, Soutik Banerjee, Devika Tulsiani, Haji Yusuf Qureshi (deceased), and Mohd. Furquan Qureshi represented the complainant and victims. The incident took place in June 2018.
Following the circulation of images allegedly depicting the victim being dragged on the ground in the presence of police officers, the Uttar Pradesh police issued an apology on Twitter, acknowledging the Hapur incident and initiating an inquiry into the involvement of the policemen.
In 2018, the surviving victim, Samiudeen, filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking a thorough investigation. The Supreme Court, in the same year, directed the Inspector General of Police, Meerut Range, to oversee the inquiry in accordance with the guidelines outlined in the Tehseen Poonawalla judgment concerning mob lynching and hate crimes.
