The report recommends an independent impartial investigation, Rs 10 lakh in compensation to the deceased’s family, providing the family with the post-mortem report, and strict action against errant and complicit police officers.
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — A fact-finding report into the brutal murder of Idrees Pasha in Ramnagar’s Sathanuru in Karnataka on March 31 this year points to an inept prevention of the hate crime by local police, their failure in not apprehending the attackers in time and an overall weak and faulty investigation.
Idrees Pasha (39), a licensed cattle trader, fell victim to the high-handedness of the self-proclaimed cow vigilantes. His body was found under mysterious circumstances. Pasha’s family claims that he was beaten up and thrashed mercilessly by a group of Hindutva zealots.
Puneeth Kerehelli, prime accused in Pasha’s lynching, and four of his associates were arrested from Banaswara in Rajasthan a week after the gory incident.
The fact-finding report, released on Thursday, detailed the specific lapses after field visits and interviews with eyewitnesses, victims and survivors. It said the local police abjectly failed when it refused to hand over the post-mortem report to the family of the deceased, media reports said on Friday.
The fact-finding team comprised of advocate Sivamanithan, Siddharth K.J., Dr. Sylvia Karpagam, Khasim Shoaib Qureshi and members of All India Jamaithul Quresh (Karnataka).
The report also recommends an independent impartial investigation, Rs 10 lakh in compensation to the deceased’s family, providing the family with the post-mortem report, and strict action against errant and complicit police officers.
Syed Zaheer, one of Pasha’s two companions who survived the reported attack, told the media that the vigilantes refused to let their truck go even after Pasha told them he had papers to prove he had, legitimately, bought the animals at a cattle market. He also said the assailants asked the trio to “go to Pakistan”.
The Karnataka High Court granted conditional bail to prime accused Kerehalli and four others after they were refused bail by a trial court.
Kerehalli and the other accused were initially booked on charges of murder, assault, criminal intimidation, wrongful restraint and intentional insult to provoke a breach of peace. All accused are known to be associated with Rashtra Rakshana Pade, founded by Kerehalli.
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Photo: Idrees Pasha (left), who was allegedly tortured and killed by Puneeth Kerehalli (right) and his associates at Sathanur police station limits in Karnataka. — Taken from media
