LUCKNOW: A local court in Hapur on Tuesday sentenced 10 accused to life imprisonment for lynching a meat trader to death over rumours of cow slaughter. Qasim Qureshi, 45, was killed by the mob in June 2018. Another victim, Samaydeen, 62, was injured in the mob attack. The victims had not sought the death penalty for the convicts saying they did not have any personal enmity against them.The court convicted the accused persons under Sections 302 (murder), 149 (unlawful assembly), 307 (attempt to murder), 149, 147 (rioting), 148 (being armed with a deadly weapon) and 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion) of the Indian Penal Code. The court also slapped a penalty of `58,000 on each of the convicts.In 2018, Samaydeen had moved the Supreme Court seeking a thorough probe into the attack after the police sought to give a motorcycle accident angle to the lynching, in its first information report.The SC then directed the Inspector General of Police, Meerut range, to ensure the probe is in consonance with the guidelines issued in the Tehseen Poonawallah case judgment relating to mob lynching and hate crimes.The crime had created a nationwide buzz after pictures purportedly showing the victims being dragged on the ground in the presence of cops went viral on social media.Later, the UP police posted an apology, adding its personnel who were present at the spot but did nothing to save the victim would be proceeded against.
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