Tensions high as minor killed for trying to stop cousin’s molesters

A day after the incident in Prayagraj, a group of villagers surrounded the police station and blocked a road seeking justice for the 16-year-old boy

PRAYAGRAJ Tension gripped a village in Prayagraj district on Tuesday, a day after a 16-year-old Hindu boy was allegedly beaten to death by a group of people from the Muslim community as he tried to object to a molestation attempt on his 15-year-old cousin, police said on Tuesday.

Four minors were detained and the village head was arrested in connection with the incident, which took place at Dattu Ka Pura village under Khiri police station limits on Monday, (Pic for representation)

Four minors were detained and the village head was arrested in connection with the incident, which took place at Dattu Ka Pura village under Khiri police station limits on Monday, Prayagraj commissioner of police Ramit Sharma said. “SHO of Khiri police station Naveen Singh and a police outpost in-charge Bappi Soni were suspended for not taking prompt action in the incident,” Sharma added.

In a complaint lodged against the five accused, all from Muslim community, family members of the deceased have alleged that the group assaulted the boy when he tried to stop them from molesting his cousin on Monday afternoon. The incident took place when the boy, a Class 10 student, and his cousin, a year junior to him, were returning home from their school.

“The boy was rushed to the hospital in a serious condition. He succumbed to his injuries during treatment,” another police officer said.

Based on the complaint from the family of the deceased, a case under sections 302 (murder), 354 (outraging modesty of a woman), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (criminal act done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered, the officer said.

The incident took a communal hue on Tuesday, when a large group of villagers from the Hindu community, including stick-wielding women, surrounded the Khiri police station and tried to barge in. They also blocked a road demanding justice for the deceased, the officer said. Subsequently, additional police force was called in to restore law and order.

The police commissioner, along with district magistrate Sanjay Khatri, also visited Khiri to pacify the agitating villagers.

“The situation is under control,” DCP (trans-Yamuna) Santosh Kumar Meena said. “A heavy force has been deployed in the area as a precautionary measure.”