“There were no injury marks on the body. We suspect that Ahmed might have died due to a cardiac arrest. During preliminary investigation, locals too denied that any scuffle took place between Ahmed and the accused. They claimed that only an argument took place between the two sides," said a senior police official. Bhadohi police on Wednesday lodged an FIR against seven named persons including a BJP leader and unidentified persons after a 62-year-old labourer belonging to another community died after they allegedly thrashed him at his residence in Katra Bazaar area of the district.
Police said all accused were neighbours of the deceased Mustakeen Ahmed. Police also said that the incident occurred over a dispute when one of Aftab’s goats strayed near his neighbour Sandep Jaiswal’s house. The accused persons include the chairman of Bhadohi Municipal Corporation. No arrests have been made yet.
SP, Bhadohi, Anil Kumar said police are waiting for the autopsy report to reach any conclusion.Ahmed’s son Aftab Alam told The Indian Express, “On Tuesday morning, one of our goats strayed near Jaiswal’s home. He started abusing us but the matter was resolved when locals intervened.” Around 10 pm the same night, while the family was sleeping, a group of 10-15 men led by Bhadohi Municipal Corporation chairman Ashok Jaiswal entered my house and started beating up everyone including my father.”
“After my father fell unconscious, the accused left the place. We rushed my father to hospital but he was declared dead,” alleged Aftab, who was also injured in the attack.
On Wednesday morning, Aftab’s mother Momina Begum filed a complaint, after which an FIR was lodged against seven named and other unidentified persons at Kotwali police station. The seven named accused were identified as Pintu Mali, Kallu, Rajesh, Sandeep, Pramod , Pradeep Mali and Ashok Jaiswal. They have been booked under IPC sections 147 (rioting), 452 (House-trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint), 304 (Causing death by negligence) and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt).
“There were no injury marks on the body. We suspect that Ahmed might have died due to a cardiac arrest. During preliminary investigation, locals too denied that any scuffle took place between Ahmed and the accused. They claimed that only an argument took place between the two sides,” said a senior police official.
When contacted, BJP’s Bhadohi district president Vinay Srivastava said, “I have learnt that Ahmed was an alcoholic and he died a natural death. The incident occurred when Ahmed’s son came to one of the accused’s house in a drunken state and started abusing him.”