A MADHYA PRADESH DISTRICT JUDGE, Tabassum Khan, has become the target of a communal hate campaign and has received death threat after she sentenced 14 men to life imprisonment in a 2022 mob lynching case. Additional District Judge (ADJ) of Narmadapuram district Tabassum Khan on June 12, 2026, held all the 14 accused guilty of lynching a Muslim man over suspicion that he was engaging in cow smuggling.

Following the verdict, ADJ Khan has become the target of a communal hate campaign, with social media directing their ire towards her and throwing inflammatory comments.

What was the 2022 mob lynching case?

The mob lynching incident happened in Madhya Pradesh’s Barakheda village, situated in Seoni Malwa, Narmadapuram District. On August 2 and 3, 2022, a truck driver named Nazir Ahmed and his associate Sheikh Mustaq were transporting cattle from Nandarwada to Maharashtra. They were intercepted near Barakheda as several villagers blocked the vehicle from traveling further. Both the men, on suspicion that they were smuggling cattle, were violently assaulted with sticks and wooden roads. Nazir Ahmed succumbed to his injuries, while Sheikh Mustaq suffered severe injuries. 

The court judgement and the hate campaign

In its judgment, the court held that the prosecution had proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused participated in the attack and observed that they had assaulted the deceased with “extreme brutality”.

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After the verdict was delivered, enraged family members of the convicts staged a protest outside the courthouse and barred police vehicles from taking the convicts to jail.

Threats and other inflammatory content against ADJ Khan have risen in the days following the verdict. Many have targeted ADJ Khan’s religion, alleging that the “cow vigilantes” or “gau rakshaks” (cow protectors) as they are being called, were deliberately targeted by a Muslim judge. Online vigilante groups have made efforts to recast the mob lynching case as a Hindu-Muslim issue.

A more sinister threat is widely circulating online. In the video, a man demands for the release of all “14 brothers,” and warns that if it doesn't happen within ten days then there would be bloodshed across the country. Directly addressing Hindus, the man continued that ‘cow-murderers’ are roaming freely in the country. He also leveled some disrespectful and blasphemous comments towards ADJ Khan. 

Suresh Chavhanke, owner of Sudarshan News, posted a statement on his X handle to term the court’s verdict as “judicial lynching.” During a live appearance, he stated: “We stand with all the gau-rakshaks (cow protectors) and their families. This fight is not yours alone; it is ours too.”

In addition to online hate campaigns, protestors have also taken to streets to denounce ADJ Khan. On June 22, 2026, a cow protector group named Gau-Raksha Parishad staged a protest in Punjab’s Mohali district to demand for the release of all 14 convicts. The crowd burned down an effigy of Judge Tabassum Khan, while chanting ‘tabassum khan haaye haaye’ ‘tabassum khan murdabad’and ‘gau rakshako ko riha karo.’ (Down with tabassum khan! Release the cow protestors!)

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An X account by the username HinduNation accused Judge Tabassum Khan of ‘abusing her power’ and called upon the Supreme Court asking for her suspension.  

“By misusing her power, Judge Tabassum Khan, ignoring the rules of the honorable court and showing bias out of malice, sentenced the cow protectors to life imprisonment. The honorable Supreme Court is requested to kindly suspend Judge Tabassum Khan who is biased towards the public and violated the rules of the judiciary, so that the public can get justice and all the cow protectors who saved the cow are released so that they can serve more cows again,” read the post. 

Taking cognizance of the hate campaign, the Seoni Malwa Police has registered a case in this regard against two unidentified accused and began investigation to trace them. The case had been filed under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) relating to promoting enmity and acts prejudicial to public order. Police have also strengthened the security of the ADJ to ensure her safety. 

Station House Officer Sudhakar Bhaskar confirmed the action: “Taking suo motu cognisance, we registered an FIR on June 23 against two individuals who made comments on social media. A case has been registered against them under Sections 302 and 196(1) of the BNS. With the help of the cyber cell, we are trying to trace the origin of the viral video and identify who circulated it. We continue to monitor social media.”

(Edited by Anshika Verma)

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