The meat sample found outside Mohammad Akhlaq's house in Dadri belongs to a cow or its progeny, according to a Mathura forensic lab report. Akhlaq, 52, was killed in a village in Uttar Pradesh's Dadri district on September 28, after a mob attacked his family for allegedly eating beef. The report was originally issued on October 3, 2015, by the Office of the Joint Director at Forensic Investigation Laboratory in UP University of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Mathura. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for June 6, reported The Indian Express.

Five months back, the Uttar Pradesh veterinary department had confirmed that Akhlaq and his family ate mutton, and not beef. "Initially we did say mutton, but subsequently we were told by the lab that it was beef," Uttar Pradesh police chief Javed Ahmed told NDTV. He added that the new lab report "does not diminish the case as murder is an offence". Beef eating is not a crime in Uttar Pradesh, only cow slaughter is.

The Mathura lab report was dismissed by Akhlaq's family members, who have always denied that they ate beef. "Dadri police said mutton, now you are saying it is beef. This is all politics," said Akhlaq's brother, Chand Mohammad.

The police have arrested 18 people, including two juveniles, for Akhlaq's murder so far, according to Hindustan Times. A chargesheet has also been filed against them.