Women from murder victim’s family torch liquor vend in Modinagar

Police said local residents were opposing the opening of the liquor shop near their village and the recent murder triggered Friday’s incident, which saw at least 35 cartons of liquor being destroyed

A group of agitated women in Modinagar’s Khindora village allegedly torched a newly opened liquor vend in their locality on Friday evening. Excise department officials said the women were agitated after two suspects arrested in a recent murder case of a 70-year-old man had consumed liquor from the same shop and resorted to arson.

Villagers set the liquor stall on fire in Khindora village in Ghaziabad on Friday evening. (Sakib Ali /Hindustan Times)

Police said local residents were opposing the opening of the liquor shop near their village and the recent murder triggered Friday’s incident, which saw at least 35 cartons of liquor being destroyed.

Officials of the district excise department said the shop got a licence to operate in June this year.

“The mob also included the family members of the elderly man who was murdered. The suspects of the murder had consumed liquor from the same shop. So, the women of the deceased’s family along with others torched the shop and also looted ₹18,000 from the shop. The owner of the shop has lodged a police complaint in this regard,” said RK Singh, district excise officer.

“The shop is not located in a residential area and was opened in accordance with norms. It serves county liquor,” Singh added.

Police said the duo had asked the victim to buy cattle from nearby Gyaspur and later strangulated him after thinking that the victim must be carrying substantial amount of cash with him. However, they could find only ₹1,000. Police recovered the piece of cloth used for the murder and ₹400 from the two suspects, who are also residents of Khindora.

Liquor shop manager Pankaj Kumar Tyagi said about 15-20 women along with some men asked him to shut the shop on Friday evening.

“They were agitated and asked me to shut the shop. There were some men along with the women and they assaulted me. They also set the shop on fire and took away my mobile phone and also ₹18,000 cash. I have given a police complaint,” Tyagi added.

The deputy commissioner of police (rural), Vivek Chandra Yadav said, “During interrogation, the two suspects said they had consumed liquor several times on the day of the murder. This was confirmed by other local residents as well. They were aggrieved that the shop was opened near their locality and also barely 200-300 metres away from a temple and a school. Primarily, the women were agitated after opening of the shop and the murder case proved a trigger point. We are investigating the incident”.

Police said that they have registered an FIR under Section 147 (rioting), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 392 (robbery) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against the arsonists at Niwari police station.