As the stabbing of a tourist guide near Jaipur's Amer sparked tensions in the city, police have revealed the alleged reason behind the altercation which culminated into the fatal knife attack. Forty-year-old Manish Kumar Soni, a tour guide, died on Tuesday, day after being stabbed by a jeep driver.
The incident unfolded around 9.30 am on Monday near Maota Lake when tourists in a private car reached the spot, seeking directions to the Amer Fort, a key destination in the city, the Indian Express reported, citing ACP (Amer) Prateek Singh.
What led to Jaipur tourist guide's stabbing
The police have cited a long-standing feud between jeep drivers and tourist guides at the heart of the incident. While Azam, the accused jeep driver, told tourists that private vehicles were not allowed and they should hire a jeep, tour guide Manish explained the route to the visitors, leading to the altercation.
As the dispute escalated, Azam and his associate Nazish allegedly stabbed Manish. While Azam was arrested, Manish, who was admitted to the SMS Hospital, died around 7 am on Tuesday.
The incident sparked communal tensions as people gathered at the scene, prompting police to intervene to bring the situation under control. Tensions resurfaced on Tuesday following Manish's death and the shutdown call.
{{/usCountry}}The incident sparked communal tensions as people gathered at the scene, prompting police to intervene to bring the situation under control. Tensions resurfaced on Tuesday following Manish's death and the shutdown call.
{{/usCountry}}Locals claimed that the fatal attack was linked to an earlier dispute. They alleged that Soni submitted a complaint saying the accused allegedly attempted to kill him and threatened him days before the stabbing, but police did not register a case.
A purported copy of the complaint was circulated on social media. HT could not independently verify the complaint’s authenticity or the allegations in it.
Family seeks justice, financial support
The deceased's wife, Poonam Soni has demanded justice for her husband and financial support for her children. "I only want justice and my daughters’ rights. No one has come to meet us yet. I have submitted my demands in writing," news agency ANI quoted her as saying.
Poonam said, "The accused should be dealt with in the same way as he killed my husband. I want financial compensation and a government job to support my children and their education. I have mentioned all these demands in writing. I appeal to the administration to provide justice as soon as possible."
BJP MLA Balmukund Acharya said the accused had committed a grave crime and would face punishment while denying any communal angle in the incident. "There is no caste, creed, or religion involved; an accused is an accused, whoever he may be," he said.
"The accused, Azam Khan, has committed a very serious crime by killing a simple person like Manish. He will have to face punishment, and those involved with him will also have to face punishment. Strict action will be taken against the accused, his associates, and his accomplices," Acharya said.
He further said that the demands of the deceased's family would be taken up with the Chief Minister.
"The family will get justice. We will take all the demands of the family to the Chief Minister and ensure that their demands are fulfilled. The protest has now ended," the BJP MLA said.