Hapur Lynching: Key Witness Hit By Innova Near Ghaziabad

Salim Qureshi, one of the key witnesses and younger brother of the deceased in the Hapur lynching case, alleged that he was attacked on Friday near Dasna toll plaza in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.

The incident happened around 1 p.m. between Dasna toll plaza and Masuri, Ghaziabad, when Qureshi was returning home to Hapur, He was  riding pillion on a bike being driven by his security guard, Naseem. Suddenly, an Innova car hit their bike and toppled them on the road, injuring both. An FIR has been filed against unknown people.

Speaking with Newsclick over the phone, Salim said, "They (my brother killers) are trying to kill me as I am the key witness in the case. I couldn't see the people who were in the car. Fortunately, I am safe but they had tried their best to crush my bike. An FIR has been filed in Masuri police station but no one has been arrested so far."

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"I cannot tell you more about what happened to me. My body is in pain because of the injuries and I am not able to speak properly. I don't know what to do," he added.

On the afternoon of June 18, 2018, two men were brutally assaulted by a lynch mob at Hapur district’s Bajhera Khurd village following a rumour that they were chasing a cow and its calf for slaughter. Mohammed Qasim Qureshi – a 45-year-old resident of Saddiqpur in the district – died in the attack, while Samiuddin, a 65-year-old farmer, suffered critical injuries and is undergoing treatment at a private hospital.

Later that month, the Supreme Court issued a notice to the Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government and asked the Meerut Inspector-General to conduct an inquiry and submit a report.

It should be noted, that as per the Ministry of Home Affairs data, 45 people were killed in 40 different mob lynching cases across nine states between 2014 and March 3, 2018.

The SHO (Masuri) Umesh Bahadur Singh told Newsclick, “The investigation is going on, and we will soon nab the accused who attacked Salim. An FIR has also been filed against unknown people. We have got CCTV footage and are converting it into compact disc (CD). The incident happened at NH-24, one kilometer near Dasna toll plaza toward Hapur road”.

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This is not the first time that a key witness has been attacked or an attempt on life has been made in Uttar Pradesh. Recently, one of the key witnesses of the Unnao gang rape and murder case involving Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA, Kuldeep Singh Sengar, had died under mysterious circumstances. The case is being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation.