They were going to depose in the trial

A group of unidentified persons allegedly opened fire on the witnesses, including his two sons, in dairy farmer Pehlu Khan’s lynching case, on Saturday, when they were on their way to Behror town in Rajasthan’s Alwar district to depose at a sessions court during the trial.

Their car, coming from Nuh in Haryana, was overtaken and fired upon by an SUV near Neemrana on the Delhi-Jaipur National Highway. The witnesses included Pehlu Khan’s sons, Arif and Irshad, and Rafiq and Azmat, who were accompanying him during the attack by cow vigilantes last year. Their lawyer, Asad Hayat, was also travelling in the same car.

Mr. Hayat said a black SUV without a number plate overtook them and tried to stop their car, while its occupants shouted at them. “When we did not stop, they fired on us and sped towards Behror. We then took a U-turn and proceeded towards Alwar from a different route through the villages,” he said. No one was injured.

FIR registered

The Alwar police have registered an FIR against unknown persons. Superintendent of Police Rajendra Singh said CCTVs installed on the National Highway 8 would be checked to identify the assailants.

The People’s Union for Civil Liberties has demanded immediate security for the witnesses to ensure a fair and impartial trial.