New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh Police Wednesday arrested six people for allegedly lynching a Muslim man in Aligarh on suspicion of theft. Tension gripped the city as news of the murder spread and shops downed shutters in the Mamu Bhanja area.
A purported video of the assault went viral on social media late Tuesday, which shows at least six people beating the man, identified as Farid or Aurangjeb.
Aligarh Superintendent of Police Mringank Shekhar Pathak told ThePrint that the six accused were neighbours Rahul, Mohit, Chirag Varshney, Ankit Varshney, Kamal Chowdhury and Jai Gopal Sharma.
Police said the mob lynched Aurangjeb after he allegedly entered the house of local trader Mukesh Chand Mittal, and was confronted by his family members and neighbours.
On a complaint filed by the victim’s brother Mohammed Jaqi, the police registered an FIR against the six men under IPC sections 302 (murder), 341 (wrongful restraint), 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), and 34 (common intention). In his complaint, Jaqi claimed that the men attacked his brother on realising he was a Muslim.
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‘Identified Muslim identity and lynched’
According to the FIR, seen by ThePrint, Jaqi said in his complaint that his brother Aurangjeb was returning home to the Ghas ki Mandi area when he was surrounded by a mob of more than 12 people, including accused Ankit and Chirag Varshney.
On ascertaining his Muslim identity, they attacked him with hockey sticks and lathis with an intention to kill, his brother said in the complaint.
Aurangjeb’s family members rushed him to Malkhan Singh hospital, where he was declared brought dead.
ThePrint has learnt that the area where the incident happened is swarming with police personnel, including from the Provincial Armed Constabulary.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
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