Gujarat: Row over butcher’s custodial death in Godhra refuses to ebb

VADODARA: The row over the custodial death of a man accused of selling cow meat on Wednesday refuses to die down. The family that alleged foul play accepted the body of the man only on Saturday night.
The man Kasim Hayat was detained while he was carrying meat on his scooter on Tuesday. Forensic tests revealed that the meat was that of a cow and thereafter, Hayat was arrested.
On Wednesday night, Hayat allegedly hung to death inside the Godhra B Division police station.Hayat’s body was sent to the SSG Hospital in Vadodara for a postmortem by a panel of doctors.
The postmortem was performed on Friday, but the family refused to accept the body till Saturday evening. The family agreed to accept the body on Saturday night and burial was expected to take place later. While the police claimed that Hayat had ended his life, relatives have stated otherwise. A cousin brother of the deceased has submitted a complaint in this regard to the police. A copy of the same has also been submitted in the Godhra court.
On Thursday, Congress MLAs from the minority community had demanded justice. AIMIM that has a significant presence in Godhra has also sought justice.
Sources said that AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi was scheduled to visit the state next week and hi party members would apprise him of the custodial death.
Audio messages have also been made appealing people to support the fight for Hayat. These are being circulated on a messaging application.
Panchmahal superintendent of police Leena Patil said that a judicial inquiry was being conducted in the matter of custodial death. She said that they were cooperating with the inquiry.