Ghaziabad: 65-year-old stabbed by ‘goons’ for objecting to construction

Sources said that the victim had denied the group permission to occupy a plot in the vicinity of his residence on Wednesday. In an earlier incident, the same group had allegedly molested the victim’s 22-year-old niece and attempted to rape her. An FIR was also lodged in this regard.

A 65-year-old man was severely injured on being stabbed by a group of men in New Hindon Vihar area of Sahibabad on Thursday morning.

The man’s family said that during the previous incident that took place on May 15, the group allegedly molested, stabbed and beat up the niece of the victim, Lal Khan. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

Sources said that the victim had denied the group permission to occupy a plot in the vicinity of his residence on Wednesday. In an earlier incident, the same group had allegedly molested the victim’s 22-year-old niece and attempted to rape her. An FIR was also lodged in this regard.

The man’s family said that during the previous incident that took place on May 15, the group allegedly molested, stabbed and beat up the niece of the victim, Lal Khan. An FIR under sections of rape, molestation, rioting and criminal intimidation was lodged at Sahibabad police station.

“My uncle (the victim) had intervened when the men in the group were beating up my sister brutally. She was also stabbed and suffered seven stitches on her back. The group comprises outsiders who frequently come to our locality and indulge in hooliganism. On Monday, they also broke the CCTV cameras installed in our house,” said Sameer Khan, Khan’s nephew.

“On Wednesday, my uncle objected when the group was trying to undertake illegal construction on a plot of land in the area. My uncle called up the plot owner who stopped construction on the land. In retaliation, the group approached my uncle’s dairy on Thursday and stabbed him, due to which he has suffered severe injury to his intestines. He is being operated upon,” Khan said.

The victim was brutally beaten up after which locals rushed him to the hospital.

The police, on the other hand, said that the incident pertained to a rivalry between the two groups over the plot of land. “A complaint will be registered soon into the incident. Sahibabad circle officer is undertaking the investigation in the case. The man was stabbed and initial reports of firing in the incident are wrong,” Akash Tomar, superintendent of police (city), said.

An FIR under sections of voluntarily causing hurt with means of an instrument and rioting was registered at Sahibabad police station in connection with Thursday’s stabbing incident.