A day after the Rajasthan high court quashed a case of illegal bovine transportation against lynching victim Pehlu Khan, his sons and a transporter, chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday alleged that the former state BJP government and police intentionally registered the case against them.

   

He further alleged that this was done under a conspiracy to protect the real culprits.

 

"A person named Pehlu was killed in mob lynching and when it became an issue, the then (BJP) government and police administration, to save their skin, registered a counter case of illegal bovine transportation against Pehlu and his sons instead of an impartial probe," he said welcoming the court order.

 

Gehlot said there was an atmosphere of mob lynching in the country and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had to say that it (lynching) was done by anti-social elements.

"Modi said this once only. If he, Amit Shah, RSS and the BJP repeat this again, then the mob lynching can be stopped because after (the case of) Pehlu Khan, mob lynching is still happening in the country," he said.

"A case was framed against Pehlu and his sons and a challan was submitted within 10 days after we came to power in December last year and no one got to know this because they already had the conspiracy and the challan was silently submitted in the court, which has now been quashed," he said.

In the Pehlu Khan lynching case, Gehlot said, the accused were acquitted because the investigation was done with an intention to save them. -- PTi