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Thirteen-year-old Alisha* (name changed) spent three months in jail after she was arrested from Muzaffarnagar’s Khatauli district in Uttar Pradesh – along with six other members of her family and two of her neighbours on charges of cow slaughter.
“We were abused and beaten up by the police. They forced us out of our home and threatened us when we tried to question them,” the teenager told The Quint.
According to Alisha, the police misbehaved with them and put them behind bars on false charges of cow slaughter.
With Alisha her 17-year-old sister and 15-year-old brother was also taken into custody.
But what had happened that morning that led to the arrest of these people?
The Fateful Morning of 29 December
On 29 December 2017, the Khatauli police reached Islam Nagar in Muzaffarnagar’s Khatauli district suspecting that a cow had been slaughtered. The police then arrested nine people in connection with the slaughtering of the cow.
An FIR was lodged against 13 people of which four are still at large and nine arrested.
But the story has two contrasting sides – the family’s side of the story and the police investigation.
The Family’s Version
The Quint spoke to the family of the accused to find out about the events that transpired on 29 December 2017.
Hazi Naseer, Alisha’s grandfather recalls the horror of that morning while narrating his ordeal. According to him, four people were slaughtering a cow in their locality and when the police arrived they fled.
Naseer alleges that the police was agitated as the real culprits were absconding. They then raided Naseer’s house and arrested seven of his family members and two of his neighbours on charges of cow slaughter and section 307 (attempt to murder) among others.
The nine included: Naseer’s three grandchildren, three daughters-in-law, a distant relative and two neighbours who tried to help the family.
Naseer and his family members claim that the ones arrested had nothing to do with the cow slaughter. However he does mention that one of his sons was among the four people who were slaughtering the cow. He too is now absconding.
One of my sons was involved in cow slaughter but we had no idea about that. I was told that the police had raided our house. They arrested my family members. They arrested all the women but they was no female police personnel with the police.Hazi Naseer, Victim’s Family Member
“The police thrashed my children and took them in their custody. Not just that, they arrested an old man in our neighbourhood when he tried to save them,” Naseer added.
He blames the police for bringing disrepute to the family and arresting the minor girls.
The girls grandmother goes on to say, “The police has ruined our lives with what they have done to these girls. Who will marry these girls now, what will we do?”
The grieving family claims that they have nowhere to go as the police has trapped them into a false case. However, the police refutes these claims made by the family.
What Does the FIR Say?
As per the police records the police forcibly entered “Waqeel ki Dairy” where they saw these men and women slaughtering cows. The FIR goes on to state that this group of men and women were holding weapons like knives and screwdrivers in their hands.
According to the FIR, they attacked the police with those weapons after which the police arrested nine people and four are still absconding.
The FIR gives the details of the crime scene and goes on to state that two cows were slaughtered, there was bloodshed in the dairy and the weapons (in the hands of the accused) were stained in blood.
The group was holding pieces of meat in their hand when the police raided the dairy and they the started howling and running due to which the situation got tense, the FIR states.
Speaking to The Quint, Omveer Singh, SP City, Muzaffarnagar said:
We have carried out the investigation after which the chargesheet was filed and these people were taken into custody.
“They were arrested from the site of the incident,” Singh added.
Singh also refuted the family’s claim that three minors were arrested.
I don’t know how are you calling them minors. They were all in jail and then granted bail by the High Court. The age on Aadhaar card can’t be taken as the final word.Omveer Singh, SP City, Muzaffarnagar
The family however dismisses all the claims made by the police. They stick to their ground and allege that the police has trapped them into a false case of cow slaughter. Naseer and Shahjahan demand justice for their children and say that they can only hope for their return.
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