20 detained in UP migrant death case

The Government Railway Police (GRP) has detained at least 20 persons involved in the death of a Uttar Pradesh migrant, Dharam Dev, police said. How can we stop violence between regional identities? | Surfers' response

The Government Railway Police (GRP) has detained at least 20 persons involved in the death of a Uttar Pradesh migrant, Dharam Dev, police said.

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Dev (25), a resident of Faizabad in UP, was beaten to death on a Mumbai CST-bound local train yesterday by fellow commuters after they allegedly picked up a fight with him and his three friends.

GRP Commissioner AK Sharma said the police have detained 20 persons for questioning. Sharma, however, refused to confirm if the detainees were from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).

Dev, who worked as a helper at a construction site, was occupying the window seat in the train, when a group of eight to ten commuters, who appeared to be local villagers, forced them to vacate the seat, police said.

The local group then asked Dev and his friends if they were 'bhaiyyas' (a term referred to UPites) after which they started abusing them, they said.

According to the statement given by the victim's friends, the four were slapped and kicked, thus rendering Dev unconscious.

Dev was rushed to a hospital where he was declared dead.

Sharma said that the police were waiting for the post mortem report.