Rakbar Khan died after being assaulted in Lalwandi, Alwar, on the night of 20–21 July 2018. He and a companion were moving cattle when a mob stopped them on suspicion of smuggling. His companion escaped.
On 25 May 2023, an Alwar court sentenced four men to seven years for culpable homicide not amounting to murder. They were also convicted of wrongful restraint, but not murder. A fifth accused, VHP leader Naval Kishore, was acquitted because the evidence was insufficient.
Khan’s wife criticised the punishment and acquittal, while the defence maintained that the convicted men were innocent. The differing responses do not change what the trial court actually decided. These are the recorded 2023 outcomes, not a claim that subsequent appeals have been settled.
