Man beaten to death in north Delhi: Sisodia visits family, announces ₹10L compensation

Rajput’s family on Saturday reiterated that they did not see the crime through a communal lens, even as social media posts painted the murder as one with communal overtones.

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday visited the family of 19-year-old Rahul Rajput, who was beaten to death on Wednesday — allegedly by the family of a woman he was in a relationship with— and announced an ex gratia of ₹10 lakh.

A photo of 18-year-old Rahul Rajput. Rahul was allegedly beaten to death over his friendship with a woman in Adarsh Nagar, New Delhi. (HT Photo)

“The Delhi government will work towards speedy justice for the family of the victim. We shall talk to the L-G, the police and engage top lawyers in prosecution to ensure that those found guilty be given strictest punishment,” Sisodia said at their house in north Delhi’s Adarsh Nagar.

“The family is in a poor economic condition. Under directions of the chief minister, I will ensure an immediate financial help of Rs 10 lakh for the family at the earliest.”

Rajput’s family on Saturday reiterated that they did not see the crime through a communal lens, even as social media posts painted the murder as one with communal overtones.

Several other political leaders from the national capital on Saturday visited the bereaved family’s house in north Delhi’s Adarsh Nagar, including Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party chief Adesh Gupta.

“Whoever visited us to offer us their condolences, we assured them that we don’t believe in seeing a crime from the Hindu-Muslim angle. The religion of the killers do not matter to us,” said Rajput’s uncle Dharampal, who was witness to the crime, and rescued his nephew from the attackers.

Rajput succumbed to his injuries at Babu Jagjivan Ram Hospital in Jahangirpuri on Thursday.

The suspects involved in the killing — two men and three minors, were apprehended on Thursday.

Vijayanta Arya, deputy commissioner of police (north-west), said the situation in the victim’s neighbourhood, as well as in Jahangirpuri, where the woman lives with her family, has been “normal”.

“We have deployed police personnel in both areas. We are just keeping a watch,” Arya said.

Dharampal said that while he was satisfied with the police action, he believed there were around 10 attackers. “The police have assured us that if they get to know of any other person’s involvement, they won’t be spared,” he said.

Rajput, who tutored school students, while pursuing his Bachelor’s degree from Delhi University, was lured out of his home on Wednesday evening and thrashed by a group of men. Dharampal had rescued him, but he succumbed to internal injuries the next day.

The woman’s family was against the relationship, Rajput’s family have claimed in the police statement, and had also allegedly threatened him in the past.

Delhi BJP chief Gupta, however, demanded that the Delhi government give the family ₹1 crore as compensation. Gupta also hit out at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress for “appeasement politics”.

Gupta said, “Just a week back, AAP and the Congress leaders were doing politics in the name of Dalits in other states and even took out candle marches... Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has not even met the deceased’s family. Even Congress leaders, who can travel 600km just to do politics, have not even visited the family.”

Congress vice-president Abhishek Dutt hit back and said, “BJP has woken up after two days. Our party member Vinod Aggarwal and others have been with the family since the day the incident came to light and were with them since then. It is unfortunate that the BJP is politicising the incident.”

Aam Aadmi Party’s Saurabh Bhardwaj, who was among those who met the family, tweeted, saying the party’s local legislator, Pawan Sharma, had been helping the family from the day of the incident and that he had accompanied the family to the police station to get the FIR registered.

BJP leader Kapil Mishra compared the murder with past cases in Delhi that had communal overtones. He also demanded that the chief minister give the family a compensation of Rs1 crore and legal aid.