Junaid lynching: Panchayat asks family to opt for 'out-of-court settlement' to maintain peace
Junaid was lynched by a mob in June this year
It’s been four months since 17-year-old Junaid Khan was lynched to death by a mob on a Mathura-bound train.
Junaid was stabbed to death when he, along with his brothers, was returning home to Khandwali village after shopping for Eid in Delhi on June 22.
The main accused, 30-year-old main accused, Naresh Kumar, confessed to the crime after he was arrested a fortnight after the incident.
Kumar hails from Palwal, which is located fairly close to Junaid’s village. According to an Indian Express report, the sarpanch from Junaid’s village has told his father to agree to an ‘out-of-court settlement’ with the accused so that the villages ‘can maintain peace and brotherhood’. However, Junaid’s family has refused the offer.
According to the report, some neighbouring villages held a panchayat at Khandawli, to discuss an out-of-court settlement between the families of the victim and the accused. All the six accused are residents of nearby villages like Khambi, Bhamraula and Palwal.
The sarpanches reportedly came to the consensus that the accused can be asked to pay a heavy monetary fine. This way, the villages can maintain peace and brotherhood.
Juanid’s father, Jalaluddin, has maintained that he ‘would never settle’, saying that he has faith in the court. Currently, the case is has been registered as ‘The State of Haryana versus Naresh Kumar’.