The verdict was delivered by Additional District and Sessions Judge Tabassum Khan at the Seoni Malwa court, nearly four years after the killing of 50-year-old Nazir Ahmad
NEW DELHI — A court in Madhya Pradesh’s Narmadapuram district on Friday (June 12) convicted 14 men in the 2022 lynching of a Muslim man beaten to death over suspected cow smuggling, sentencing all of them to life imprisonment.
The verdict was delivered by Additional District and Sessions Judge Tabassum Khan at the Seoni Malwa court, nearly four years after the killing of 50-year-old Nazir Ahmad, a resident of Amravati in Maharashtra.
Case Background
The incident took place on August 3, 2022, near Barakhad village in Seoni Malwa tehsil, Narmadapuram district. According to the prosecution, Ahmad was travelling in a truck with Shaikh Lala, 38, and Sayed Mushtaq, 40, transporting 28 cattle from Nanderwada village.
A group of 10–15 self-styled cow vigilantes intercepted the truck, armed with lathis, sticks and iron rods. The men were dragged from the vehicle and assaulted. Ahmad sustained multiple injuries, including lacerated wounds to the head, skull fractures, and extensive contusions, and died at the Community Health Centre in Seoni Malwa. The other two men were severely injured.
Investigators said video recordings of the assault were key evidence that helped establish the sequence of events and identify the accused.
Verdict and Court Findings
Judge Khan held that the prosecution proved “beyond a reasonable doubt” that the accused formed an unlawful assembly, committed rioting with force and violence, and assaulted Ahmad “with extreme brutality” with the intent to cause death. All 14 were convicted of murder, attempted murder, rioting, and wrongful restraint.
Those sentenced to life imprisonment are Deepak alias Baba Kevat, Ajju alias Ajay Rathore, Prakash Kaushal, Chetan Maratha, Pawan Bathav, Amar alias Bhola Bathav, Kanhaiya Bathav, Devendra alias Chhotu Kori, Sandeep alias Raja Kaushal, Anuj alias Ballu Raghuvanshi, Sanju alias Rajendra Kaushal, Akash alias Pintoli Bathav, Gaurav Yadav, and Akash Sarathe.
Aftermath of the Verdict
The sentencing sparked emotional scenes outside the court. As police began shifting the convicts to jail, a large number of relatives gathered, broke down, and protested. Some family members lay down in front of the police vehicle and tried to block its passage. Police and relatives jostled before the situation was brought under control and the convicts were taken to prison.
Several relatives claimed the men had gone for “Gau Seva and Gau Raksha” — cow protection — but were now facing the consequences.
The killing had drawn widespread condemnation from civil rights groups and Muslim organisations at the time, who described it as mob lynching in the name of cow protection. The case attracted nationwide attention amid ongoing concerns over vigilante violence linked to cattle smuggling allegations.
The judgment closes a case that had been pending for nearly four years.
