Situation was tensed in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj on Tuesday after a class 10 student was allegedly beaten to death following a dispute with classmates belonging to a different community. Heavy police has been deployed in the city, while Khiri area’s SHO has been suspended and three accused detained.
The family members of the deceased blocked vehicular movement on Khiri crossing road and demanded action against the accused. They alleged that the student, identified as Satyam, was killed for protesting against the harassment of his cousin.
The incident took place on Monday when the victim was returning from school with his cousin, who studies in class 9 in the same school. The accused allegedly passed comments and harassed his sister. When the class 10 student protested, he was thrashed, resulting in his death.
A senior police officer said that the harassment angle was a rumour and the incident was a result of a dispute among students.
ACP (Kaudhiyara) Rajeev Kumar was quoted by Times of India as saying, “The group of students had a heated argument in school and then clashed with each other inside the campus during school time over some issue."
The school authorities, however, resolved the matter and issued them stern warning. After the school was over, these students once again came face-to-face outside the campus. They allegedly thrashed one of their classmates that he became unconscious and fell on road, the TOI report stated.
The deceased was allegedly hit with batons. “He was admitted to a hospital by locals, where he was declared dead," a police officer said.
Local residents turned out to protest after the killing in Kheri police station area on Monday. Additional police force was called as the incident began to take on a communal colour. India TV reported that the station house officer of the area was suspended and three people detained.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Yamuna Nagar) Santosh Kumar Meena was quoted by PTI as saying a case has been registered after the family filed a complaint. Three people have been detained.
The SHO said police teams are trying to nab two people named in the FIR. They have been identified as Yusuf and Mohsin. Local people blocked a road for some time after the incident, but were later cleared away, police said.
A large number of police personnel have been deployed as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order in the area, officials said. The victim’s body was sent for an autopsy.