Chronicle of an acquittal foretold | The Indian Express

Chronicle of an acquittal foretold | The Indian Express

Written by Harsh Mander |Updated: August 27, 2019 12:55:22 am

Mander is a human rights worker and writer

Chronicle of an acquittal foretold

Pehlu Khan verdict underlines subversion of justice by police and bureaucracy.

Wife and children of Pehlu Khan at their Jaisinghpur village residence in Haryana. Khan’s son Irshad said the family will move a higher court. (Express)

On the eve of India’s 73rd Independence Day, slogans — “Bharat Mata ki jai”, “Jai Shri Ram” and “Modi hai toh mumkin hai” — were raised in the corridors of the additional district judge court in Alwar. Two groups of men had waited in sweltering heat the whole day for the court to announce its verdict in the case involving the lynching of dairy farmer Pehlu Khan on April 1, 2017. One was of the men accused of the killing and their associates. The other comprised supporters of the dead man, elders from the village and human rights workers who had helped them fight for justice.