On the night of 28 September 2015 a mob dragged Mohammad Akhlaq and his son Danish out of their home in Bisada (also spelt Bisahda or Bisara) village near Dadri, Uttar Pradesh, after an announcement from the village temple accused the family of slaughtering a cow. Akhlaq died and Danish was critically injured. The killing led to protests by villagers against the arrests, a wave of writers, filmmakers and scientists returning state awards ("award wapsi"), and a national debate over "intolerance". Ten years later the trial was still at the evidence stage, and in December 2025 a Greater Noida court refused the Uttar Pradesh government's request to withdraw the case.
Key takeaways
- Mohammad Akhlaq was beaten to death in Bisada village near Dadri on 28 September 2015 after a temple announcement that a cow had been slaughtered; police arrested 18 people and chargesheeted 15.
- Nayantara Sahgal returned her Sahitya Akademi award on 6 October 2015; by PTI counts 35 to 40 writers followed, along with filmmakers and scientists.
- Arun Jaitley called the protest "a manufactured revolt", and Rajnath Singh told the Lok Sabha that claims of rising intolerance were unfounded.
- In 2025 the UP government sought to withdraw the case "for the larger purpose of restoring social harmony"; the trial court refused on 23 December 2025 and ordered day-to-day hearings.
What happened in Bisada
According to ThePrint, a mob stormed Akhlaq's home on 28 September 2015 "after an announcement that he had slaughtered a cow and stored beef in his refrigerator". Akhlaq, 52 in ThePrint's account, died at a Noida hospital; Danish, 22, survived after major head surgery ThePrint. Early agency reports gave his age as 50.
Accounts of the crowd's size differ. PTI described a "200-strong mob" PTI via Deccan Chronicle, while The Quint's 2025 reconstruction describes 15 to 20 people dragging Akhlaq from his home The Quint. The Quint reported in 2017 that villagers had acted on a rumour that a calf had gone missing on 16 September The Quint.
An FIR was registered at Jarcha police station on the complaint of Akhlaq's wife under IPC sections including 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 147, 148 and 149 (rioting and unlawful assembly), 323 and 504 Tribune.
Village protests against the arrests
The first protests came from the village itself. Agencies reported on 30 September that residents, accusing police of laxity, blocked the road from Jarcha to Dadri, set fire to a police vehicle and threw bricks and stones; police called reinforcements to disperse them. Police said six of 10 named accused had been arrested Agencies via Ummid. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav later announced Rs 5 lakh for a villager "allegedly injured in police firing" Deccan Herald.
In June 2016 a mahapanchayat held in defiance of prohibitory orders gave the state 20 days to prosecute Akhlaq's family for cow slaughter and release the accused Deccan Herald. On the first anniversary, women from the accused's families sat on a dharna at the village temple demanding the arrest of Akhlaq's brother Jan Mohammed Deccan Herald.
What ministers and leaders said
Union Minister Mahesh Sharma, the local BJP MP, met the family on 2 October and said: "The incident was just an accident and was not planned." AP via Gulf News. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, who visited the same day, called it "a pre-planned, cold-blooded killing", Deccan Herald. The ruling Samajwadi Party demanded Sharma's dismissal, with minister Shivpal Yadav calling the killing "planned" AP via Gulf News.
The state government raised aid to the family from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh and then to Rs 30 lakh, plus Rs 5 lakh each to Akhlaq's three brothers PTI via Deccan Chronicle Deccan Herald, a total The Quint puts at Rs 45 lakh The Quint. The Indian Air Force, where Akhlaq's son Sartaj served, offered to move the family to an IAF establishment Deccan Herald.
BJP MLA Sangeet Som was booked under IPC Section 188 for addressing a crowd in the village temple compound despite prohibitory orders The Hindu via CJP. In October 2022 a Surajpur magistrate found him guilty and fined him Rs 800 PTI via National Herald.
On 7 October President Pranab Mukherjee said "we should not allow the core values of our civilization to wither away", naming diversity, plurality and tolerance President's Secretariat. The next day, at a rally in Nawada, Bihar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to follow the President's path and said Hindus and Muslims should decide whether to fight each other or poverty Deccan Chronicle. In an interview with Anandabazar Patrika on 14 October he called the Dadri incident "sad" but said the Centre should not be blamed The Quint.
Award wapsi: writers, filmmakers and scientists
On 6 October 2015 novelist Nayantara Sahgal, a niece of Jawaharlal Nehru, returned the Sahitya Akademi award she won in 1986 for "Rich Like Us". Her statement, "The Unmaking of India", cited Akhlaq's killing and the murders of rationalists M M Kalburgi, Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare, and criticised the Prime Minister's silence and the Akademi's Deccan Herald The Quint.
In memory of the Indians who have been murdered, in support of all Indians who uphold the right to dissent, and of all dissenters who now live in fear and uncertainty, I am returning my Sahitya Akademi Award.
Nayantara Sahgal, "The Unmaking of India", 6 October 2015 (The Quint)
Ashok Vajpeyi, Uday Prakash, Keki N Daruwalla and others also returned awards. By 23 October PTI counted at least 35 writers who had returned Akademi awards and five who had resigned Akademi posts PTI via Assam Tribune; by January 2016 PTI put it at about 40 PTI via The News Minute.
On 23 October, as writers wearing black gags marched in Delhi and a counter-group protested that the returns were "motivated by their vested interests", the Akademi's executive board passed a resolution condemning Kalburgi's killing and asking writers to take their awards back PTI via Assam Tribune. In January 2016 the Akademi said Sahgal had agreed to take hers back; Sahgal denied it, saying "I am not taking back either the award or the cheque" Deccan Herald.
On 28 October ten filmmakers, including Dibakar Banerjee and Anand Patwardhan, returned National Awards in Mumbai in solidarity with striking FTII students and against what they called a "general environment of intolerance" PTI via Tribune.
On 23 November actor Aamir Khan said he had been "alarmed by a number of incidents" and that his wife had asked whether they should move out of India PTI via Gulf News.
Both accounts of the intolerance debate
Protesters' account
Writers said the Dadri killing and the murders of rationalists showed that dissent and "food habits and lifestyle" were under attack and that "justice drags its feet", while the Prime Minister stayed silent (Sahgal) Deccan Herald. Patar called the protest "solely on humanitarian grounds and completely apolitical" Anadolu Agency.
Government and ruling party account
Government's position Jaitley called the lynching "extremely unfortunate and condemnable" but said law and order was a state subject: Dadri was in Samajwadi Party-ruled UP and Kalburgi's murder in Congress-ruled Karnataka. He called the protest "a manufactured revolt" and "ideological intolerance" towards the BJP Arun Jaitley via Newslaundry. On 7 November actor Anupam Kher led a march to Rashtrapati Bhavan urging the President not to accept returned awards, saying they had sent a "wrong message" abroad NewsGram.
Replying to a Lok Sabha debate on "intolerance" on 1 December, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said claims of rising intolerance were "unfounded", that the Centre was ready for a CBI probe into Dadri if UP asked, and that the UP report made no mention of beef or premeditation. He said 39 people had returned awards and appealed to them to take them back. Opposition parties walked out PTI via India TV PTI via Assam Tribune.
The meat reports and the case against the family
Documented A preliminary veterinary report said the meat recovered was mutton. A later report from a forensic lab in Mathura said it was from "cow or its progeny" Deccan Herald The Quint. Claim · Akhlaq's family The family rejects the Mathura report and alleged sample tampering ThePrint. Then Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav also questioned its authenticity Deccan Herald.
On 14 July 2016, on a petition by a Bisada resident, the chief judicial magistrate ordered a case against Akhlaq's relatives for cow slaughter Deccan Herald. In August 2016 the Allahabad High Court stayed the arrest of five family members, including Danish and Akhlaq's mother, but refused relief to his brother Jan Mohammed Deccan Herald. The Quint reported in December 2025 that this case was still pending The Quint.
Timeline
Lynching
Akhlaq killed and Danish critically injured after a temple announcement ThePrint.
Arrests and village protest
Six held; residents burn a police vehicle and throw stones Agencies via Ummid.
Sahgal returns award
The best-known of dozens of returned Akademi awards The Quint.
Akademi resolution
Board condemns Kalburgi killing, asks writers to take awards back PTI.
Chargesheet
15 named; police say Vishal Rana "figures prominently" PTI via Business Standard.
Death of an accused in custody
Ravin Sisodia dies; villagers keep his body draped in the national flag until the compensation offer reaches Rs 25 lakh The Quint.
Trial begins
Charges framed against 14 ThePrint.
Withdrawal sought
Prosecutor files Section 321 application Tribune.
Withdrawal rejected
Day-to-day trial ordered Outlook.
Arrests, chargesheet and the death of an accused
ThePrint and ETV Bharat report 18 arrested, including three minors ETV Bharat; The Quint in 2017 reported 20, including two minors The Quint. The chargesheet filed on 23 December 2015 named 15 people, with the deceased's daughter Shaista's statement as its basis, according to the family's lawyer Yusuf Saifi PTI via Business Standard. Four more names were added later The Quint.
Ravin Sisodia, 22, one of the accused, died in October 2016 after being moved from jail to a Delhi hospital with suspected dengue; he died of kidney and respiratory failure. Claim · Family and villagers His relatives alleged foul play and demanded Rs 1 crore and a CBI probe. Union Minister Mahesh Sharma visited the family, and the body was cremated on 7 October after the compensation offer rose from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 25 lakh. The district magistrate said the state would pay Rs 10 lakh, "social institutions" another Rs 10 lakh, and the state would recommend a CBI inquiry on the family's written request; Sharma and Som handed over a Rs 5 lakh cheque The Quint India TV.
By late 2017 all the accused were on bail ThePrint. In 2019 Vishal Rana and other accused were seen in the front row of a rally addressed by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Tribune. Shaista testified and identified the accused on 14 June 2022 The Quint.
The 2025 bid to withdraw the case
A government order of 26 August 2025 directed withdrawal of the prosecution, and the Governor gave written permission ThePrint. The application was filed on 15 October according to the prosecutor Tribune, or 10 October according to PUCL PUCL.
Government's position The application cited inconsistent eyewitness statements (four witnesses "have altered the number of accused"), recovery of only sticks, rods and bricks so that "no firearm or sharp weapon was used", no evidence of prior enmity, and "the larger purpose of restoring social harmony" ThePrint. Lawyer Vrinda Grover told ThePrint it was in "sharp contempt" of the Supreme Court's 2018 Tehseen Poonawalla ruling on lynching. Akhlaq's wife Ikraman challenged it in the Allahabad High Court ETV Bharat.
On 23 December 2025 Additional District Judge Saurabh Dwivedi dismissed the application, calling it "baseless and insignificant" per National Herald, noted that Shaista had already testified, classed the case as "most important" and ordered daily hearings and witness protection Outlook National Herald.
The offence of murder is a grave offence committed against society.
Surajpur fast-track court order, 23 December 2025, as quoted by PUCL
Outcome
- Deaths: Mohammad Akhlaq. One accused, Ravin Sisodia, died in judicial custody in October 2016.
- Arrests: 18 (or 20 in some reports), including minors; 15 chargesheeted in 2015, four added later.
- Bail: All accused on bail by late 2017; 14 surviving accused on trial.
- Counter-case: Cow slaughter FIR against Akhlaq's family (2016), still pending per The Quint.
- Withdrawal bid: Rejected by the trial court on 23 December 2025.
Where the case stands
After the December 2025 order, the accused filed a writ in the Allahabad High Court against it and sought a transfer of the trial PTI via Siasat. On 22 January 2026 the district judge rejected the transfer plea. The next day Ikraman's statement could not be recorded because the judge was on leave, and the hearing was set for 5 February 2026 PTI via ThePrint. No later reporting on the trial or the writ was found. No verdict has been reported.
Questions people ask
What happened in Dadri in 2015?
On 28 September 2015 a mob beat Mohammad Akhlaq to death and critically injured his son Danish in Bisada village near Dadri, after a temple announcement accused the family of slaughtering a cow.
What was award wapsi?
"Award wapsi" (return of awards) was the protest in which writers, starting with Nayantara Sahgal on 6 October 2015, and later filmmakers and scientists returned state honours, citing Dadri, the killings of rationalists and what they called rising intolerance.
Was the meat in Akhlaq's house beef?
The reports conflict: an earlier report said mutton, a Mathura lab later said "cow or its progeny". The family disputes the Mathura report.
Did the UP government try to drop the Akhlaq case?
Yes. In October 2025 the prosecutor applied under Section 321 CrPC to withdraw charges, citing social harmony and witness inconsistencies. The Surajpur court rejected it on 23 December 2025 and ordered day-to-day hearings.
Has anyone been convicted for Akhlaq's lynching?
No verdict had been reported as of the latest coverage found. The trial began in March 2021, and 14 surviving accused are on bail.
Sources
- Agencies via Ummid: 50-year-old Muslim man dragged out of home, beaten to death in Greater Noida, 30 Sep 2015
- PTI via Deccan Chronicle: Dadri lynching, UP CM raises ex-gratia to Rs 20 lakh, 4 Oct 2015
- AP via Gulf News: Killing over beef, Union minister, Owaisi meet victim's family, Oct 2015
- Deccan Herald: Owaisi, Sharma take turns to visit Dadri, 3 Oct 2015
- Deccan Herald: Akhilesh 'sop balm' for Dadri family, 5 Oct 2015
- The Quint: 'For Dissent', Nayantara Sahgal returns Sahitya Akademi award, 6 Oct 2015
- Deccan Herald: Nehru's niece to return Sahitya Akademi award, 7 Oct 2015
- President's Secretariat: We must remain true to our core civilizational values, 7 Oct 2015
- Deccan Chronicle: Unite to fight poverty, says Prime Minister, 9 Oct 2015
- The Quint: Dadri killing 'sad', but what's the Centre's role, asks PM, 14 Oct 2015
- Newslaundry: A manufactured revolt, Arun Jaitley responds to writers' protest, 15 Oct 2015
- Anadolu Agency: India writers, intellectuals protest mounting 'intolerance', 22 Oct 2015
- PTI via Assam Tribune: Sahitya Akademi condemns killing of Kalburgi, 23 Oct 2015
- The Hindu via CJP: Sangeet Som charge-sheeted for disturbing peace in Dadri, Oct 2015
- PTI via Tribune: 10 filmmakers follow writers, return awards over intolerance, 28 Oct 2015
- NewsGram: 'Growing intolerance' overhyped by award wapsi, Anupam Kher, 7 Nov 2015
- PTI via Gulf News: Wife suggested moving out of 'intolerant India', Aamir Khan says, 23 Nov 2015
- PTI via India TV: No one will be spared trying to disturb social fabric, Rajnath, 1 Dec 2015
- PTI via Assam Tribune: Anyone disturbing harmony won't be spared, 1 Dec 2015
- PTI via Business Standard: Name of BJP leader's son figures prominently in charge sheet, 24 Dec 2015
- PTI via The News Minute: Some writers have agreed to re-accept their award, Sahitya Akademi, 22 Jan 2016
- Deccan Herald: Sahgal refutes Akademi claim on taking back award, 23 Jan 2016
- Deccan Herald: Residents of Dadri threaten UP govt over lynching case, 6 Jun 2016
- Deccan Herald: Dadri case, court orders FIR against Akhlaq's kin, 15 Jul 2016
- Deccan Herald: HC stays arrest of five members of Akhlaq's family, 26 Aug 2016
- Deccan Herald: Women demand arrest of Dadri victim's brother, 29 Sep 2016
- India TV: Bisada residents end protest after accused's death, 7 Oct 2016
- The Quint: Dadri accused's body cremated after UP govt increases compensation, 8 Oct 2016
- The Quint: 2 years after Dadri lynching, all 20 accused out on bail, 28 Sep 2017
- PTI via National Herald: Court convicts Sangeet Som for violating govt order, 14 Oct 2022
- Tribune: UP moves to withdraw case against all accused in 2015 Akhlaq lynching, 16 Nov 2025
- ThePrint: 10 yrs on, UP govt wants to drop charges against all accused in Dadri lynching case, 17 Nov 2025
- Outlook: UP court rejects govt plea to drop murder charges in Akhlaq lynching case, 23 Dec 2025
- ETV Bharat: Court rejects govt's plea to withdraw case against accused, 23 Dec 2025
- National Herald: District court rejects UP government plea to withdraw Akhlaq lynching case, 23 Dec 2025
- PUCL: Statement on the Surajpur court's rejection of the withdrawal plea, Dec 2025
- The Quint: The Dadri Files, 10 years since Akhlaq's lynching, 24 Dec 2025
- PTI via Siasat: Akhlaq lynching accused seek transfer of case to another court, 9 Jan 2026
- PTI via ThePrint: Court defers recording of family's statements, next hearing on Feb 5, 23 Jan 2026