The incident took place on Tuesday night in Kanjhawala.Five men have been arrested on charges of rioting and allegedly killing a 23-year-old man after he tried to stop them from attacking a teenager in Rohini’s Sawada village, police said on Thursday. The victim, Shaukat, was a photographer who tried to save his neighbour Reehan (18) from the group.
Police said the accused have been identified as Ankit, Vikas, Vishal, Harish and Ajay, aged 18-19 years. The incident took place on Tuesday night in Kanjhawala. The accused went to Reehan’s house to find out the whereabouts of his friend, Saider (19), police said. They suspected Saider and Ankit were in a relationship with the same girl and wanted to beat up Saider, police said.
They said the accused pelted stones outside Reehan’s house and tried to barge in. They allegedly threatened locals with bricks and knives. Shaukat, who lives nearby, tried to stop them but was thrashed with bricks and attacked with knives. He sustained injuries to his head.
DCP (Rohini) P K Mishra said, “We received a call from a few locals in the village about stone pelting and violence. When we reached the spot, we found two men lying on the ground. They were rushed to a nearby hospital. Reehan was discharged after a while but Shaukat died during treatment at Safdarjung Hospital on Wednesday morning.”
Reehan, a student from IGNOU, who sustained injuries to his back and legs, said, “They were looking for Saider but thrashed me. They asked me where he was but I didn’t know. They threatened to kill us. My neighbours tried to stop them but they didn’t listen. Shaukat bhai intervened but was brutally attacked by the men. They had knives and bricks…”
On Reehan’s statement, police registered an FIR against the five men under sections of rioting, attempt to murder, and murder.
Shaukat’s post-mortem was conducted on Wednesday and the body was returned to his family, but they refused to conduct last rites. Police said the family, along with 200 other locals, staged a protest in Kanjhawala and blocked a road on Wednesday.
Shaukat’s father Rehman said, “My son was innocent and was only trying to stop the men. The accused were attacking people in our locality. This shouldn’t have happened. Police should have come sooner and rescued my son. The men were pelting stones outside houses… We feel unsafe because there were over seven-nine men but police have arrested only five. What if they come back and hurt our children again? We won’t bury Shaukat till police arrest everyone and book them under strict laws.”
Later that night, senior officers, including DCP Mishra, went to the spot and met the family. “We assured them that we will nab all accused persons.They also buried Shaukat. We have deployed additional force in the area to maintain peace,” said a senior police officer.
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