Fifty five-year-old Akhlaq and his son, Danish, were dragged out of their house on the night of 28 September 2015 in Bisada, Dadri. A mob lynched them to death following an announcement at a temple that his family had consumed beef.

While Danish survived, Akhlaq did not.

The residents of Bisada reportedly acted on a rumour that a calf had gone missing on 16 September, the carcass of which was allegedly found outside Akhlaq’s house. The preliminary forensic report of the meat recovered from Akhlaq’s residence said that it was mutton. The final report from the Central Forensic and Scientific Lab, however, confirmed it was cow meat.