Prayagraj: The Allahabad high court on Monday sought the response of Uttar Pradesh and central govts on plea seeking SIT probe into the lynching of a Moradabad youth by a group of ‘cow vigilantes’ in December last year. “Shahedeen Qureshi, who earned his livelihood by pulling manual carts, was brutally murdered on the mere suspicion of involvement in cow slaughter,” said the petition, moved by Mohd Alam, the brother of the deceased. The plea also seeks compensation worth Rs 50 lakh for the kin of the deceased. Hearing the plea, a division bench comprising Justice Siddharth and Justice Ram Manohar Narayan Mishra issued notices to the centre, the UP DGP, as well as the Uttar Pradesh govt and sought their responses within two weeks. The court, in its order dated May 26, directed to put up this case as fresh on June 10 before the appropriate bench. The petitioner has raised his grievance in the petition that while the FIR should have been lodged by the police under Section 103(2) of the BNS [mob lynching], it was instead registered under Section 103(1) [murder]. He has claimed that although the police state that the section was invoked based on his complaint, his signature was obtained under duress. The petition alleges that the police are not impartial in the matter, are attempting to shield the actual perpetrators, and are not conducting the investigation fairly or professionally. It further states that the inaction of police officials in taking preventive measures against communal violence and lynching constitutes a blatant violation of the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court in its judgment, which mandates specific preventive and remedial measures in cases of mob lynching. The petition also requested the court to direct the UP govt to take disciplinary action against the police officials involved in the matter, as per the Supreme Court’s directions to ensure accountability. It also requested the court to direct the govt of India to launch public awareness campaigns against mob violence and lynching, highlighting legal consequences, as directed by the Supreme Court.