Pehlu Khan chargesheet row: Asaduddin Owaisi urges Rajasthan Muslims not to support Congress

Interacting with media, Owaisi said: "I urge Muslims in Rajasthan not to support the Congress. The Congress is used to shed crocodile tears when it remains in Opposition and behaves like the BJP when comes to power. The Muslims have endured all these for 70 years. I urge them to form their own platform."

Months after the Congress government came to power in the state, the Rajasthan police have chargesheeted dairy farmer Pehlu Khan, who was beaten to death by gau rakshaks in Rajasthan's Alwar two years ago, over an alleged cow smuggling, media reports said.

The chargesheet also reportedly names Khan's sons under section 5, 8 and 9 of the Rajasthan Bovine Animal (Prohibition of Slaughter and Regulation of Temporary Migration or Export) Act, 1995. The owner of the truck, which was used to carry the cattles, has also been named in the chargesheet.

However, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has denied naming of Khan in the chargesheet.

Gehlot said, "Name of Late #PehluKhan is not there in the chargesheet submitted by #Rajasthan Police in December 2018."

"This is a separate case which was registered and investigated under previous government in 2017-18 against Mr Arif, Mr Irshad and Mr Khan Mohd (Transporter), since accused name in the chargesheet were not present at the time of the submission in December 2018, the District court accepted the Challan on 24thmay 2018. However, our government will see if investigation was done with predetermined intentions." said the Chief Minister, who belongs to the Congress.

Earlier the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state had filed a similar chargesheet naming Khan's two associates- Azmat and Rafique- who were also attacked by the mob.

In Sept 2017, the Rajasthan police gave a clean chit to all six accused cow vigilantes in connection with the murder of Khan. 

In Dec 2018, the Congress defeated the BJP government to assume power in the state. Senior Congress leader Gehlot became the Chief Minister with Sachin Pilot as his deputy.