Ludhiana: 17 booked as 34-year-old dies days after being thrashed

The FIR has been registered on the statement of Honey Batwal, brother of the victim, who stated that the accused, who had old rivalry with his brother, thrashed him on July 13 and the victim died four days later

A day after the death of a 34-year-old man who was beaten up allegedly by a rival group, the Model town police booked 17 persons on Friday after the kin of the victim staged a protest placing the body on the Gill Road. The victim has been identified as Sikandar, 34, of Dr Ambedkar Nagar in Model Town. The police have booked Sanjay Chappel, Mani, Vijay Kumar, Shekhar, Teenu, Kaka, Johny — all residents of the same locality, and their 10 aides who are yet to be identified.

Deceased Sikandar (HT Photo)

The FIR has been registered on the statement of Honey Batwal, brother of the victim. Batwal stated that on July 13 the accused, who had old rivalry with his brother, thrashed him mercilessly. His brother returned home after availing first aid from a nearby clinic, but his health kept on deteriorating and he succumbed to his injuries on July 17, he said.

Batwal alleged that the police did not register any FIR despite a complaint following which they were forced to stage a protest. Later, the police pacified them and assured them of action. Inspector Balwinder Singh, station house officer at the Model Town police station, said an FIR under Sections 103 (murder) and 3(5) (common intention in criminal acts) of the BNS had been registered against the accused on Friday. A board of three doctors conducted a postmortem on the body. The police are awaiting the autopsy report for further action.

The SHO said Sikandar was also facing trial in drug peddling cases. He had a rivalry with the accused. On July 13 both indulged in a spat, but instead of conducting a medical checkup or filing a complaint, Sikandar struck a compromise with the accused. After four days on Thursday, Sikandar died.

“To pacify the protesters, a murder case has been registered against the rivals. The cause of death will be ascertained after the detailed autopsy report. Further action will be taken according to the post-mortem report,” the SHO added.