NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court took serious note of a petition accusing the police of tampering with evidence to project a communal lynching by cow vigilantes in Hapur as a road rage case and ordered the Inspector General of Police, Meerut range, to submit a detailed report by August 28 and also protect witnesses. The SC direction came immediately after senior advocate K V Vishwanathan alleged on behalf of a witness, who was injured in the incident, that police were tampering with evidence and threatening witnesses.

A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud said, “IGP, Meerut range, to submit a report with regard to the incident in question. We have so directed keeping in view the serious allegations and assertions made in the writ petition.” The bench sought a response from the Yogi Adityanath government and asked the petitioner to serve a copy to UP additional advocate general Aishwarya Bhati for filing the state’s response by August 28.

It also asked the IGP to issue directions to “suitable competent authority” to move the magistrate concerned for recording the statement of witnesses under Section 164 of CrPC. “If the petitioners harbour afeeling of sense of insecurity, they shall bring it to the notice of Hapur superintendent of police, who shall provide them adequate security and do the needful so that they do not remain in a state of fear,” the bench said.

The petitioners have requested the SC to set up a special investigation team to probe the incident and protect the witnesses from intimidation, harm and violence. Petitioners Samaydeen, his brother Yaseen and Dinesh Tomar, who witnessed cow vigilantes brutally assault one Qasim for alleged cow slaughter on June 18, even when there was no evidence to suggest so, told the court that Tomar was forced to write a false report.

The petitioners said circle officer of Pilkhuwa police station Pawan Kumar Singh “authored and dictated a false, concocted and baseless complaint, which was written under duress by Dinesh Tomar”, and fabricated evidence to show road rage arising from a motorcycle accident.

“Yaseen and Tomar were threatened by the CO that they would be implicated in a false criminal case including that of cow slaughter and refused to provide any information about injured witness Samaydeen unless they agreed to act as per his instructions and command,” the petitioners claimed.

