Ghaziabad: Tension gripped Ghaziabad’s Khoda Colony Saturday as a 17-year-old Class X1 student died allegedly after being stabbed by a neighbour following an argument between them on Bakra Eid.
Surya Pratap’s family said the stabbing incident happened on 28 May when he was called by the suspect and his friends. While police said the incident happened after they had argued about riding a motorbike, the victim’s family denied this.
‘“Kabhi bakra halal hote hue dekha hai? Aa dikhate hain (Have you ever seen a goat being sacrificed, come I will show you)’,” the suspect allegedly told Surya, according to the victim’s brother, Yash.
“Following which, they abused and fought with Surya, and within minutes, they stabbed him with a knife,” according to an FIR filed by Yash.
Surya was admitted to the nearby Fortis Hospital. He succumbed to his injuries on Friday, sparking protests in the Khoda Colony. The local market remained closed on Saturday as police conducted a flag march.
DCP (city) Dhawal Jaiswal told ThePrint that the deceased and the accused had known each other and were friends. “The argument broke out between the two over riding a bike…which angered the accused, following which, he retaliated with an attack, and stabbed him. This was not a preplanned murder.”
On the family’s allegations, the DCP said, “The victim and accused had been together earlier as well, and the CCTV footage is with the police, which reveals the same. The motive of the murder is related to the argument over riding the bike.”
Family members, locals, BJP leaders, and activists from various Hindu organisations protested in the area, demanding action against the accused. The victim’s family has been demanding that the accused be killed in an “encounter” and that “bulldozers be used to demolish their homes”.
In view of the prevailing tension, a heavy police force, comprising personnel from several police stations, has been deployed in Khoda.
Indirapuram Assistant Commissioner of Police Abhishek Srivastava said the stabbing incident was reported around 3:30 pm on 28 May. “A Khoda police team immediately rushed to the scene and admitted the victim to a hospital. During the course of treatment, the said teenager succumbed to his injuries on May 29, at around 12:00 pm,” he said.
An FIR was registered under relevant sections of the law based on a written complaint from the victim’s family members, and teams were constituted to apprehend the accused.
Police said three people have been apprehended in connection with the case so far, and all of them are juveniles.
In the FIR registered at Khoda Police Station, Yash claimed that the accused made a serious and life-threatening attack on “my brother Surya at Sharma Dairy Wali Gali place with the intention of killing him.”
“The incident happened around 3.30 pm on 28 May, when on the pretext of calling Surya for Eid, (the accused) and his friends took my brother to a secluded corner. A few of Surya’s friends were also present,” Yash told ThePrint Saturday.
Surya passed the Class X examination recently and was in Class 11. Vicky, a friend of Surya, told police the accused had invited them on the pretext of showing something related to Bakra Eid rituals.
Surya, Vicky, and Ayush arrived outside the accused’s house.
“The accused and his friends asked Surya, ‘kabhi bakra halal hote hue dekha hai? Aa dikhate hain’. To this, Surya said ‘no’. The accused told him ‘I will show you’. He also abused and fought with my brother. Surya wanted to leave. Within minutes, the accused and his friends stabbed a knife into Surya’s stomach,” Yash told ThePrint.
He said Surya’s friends were present there but were terrified after the attack. They made frantic phone calls to Yash to inform him about the incident. They took Surya to Fortis Hospital, where he was admitted. “They stabbed Surya multiple times.”
Surya’s family and police said that eight months ago, a scuffle broke out between Surya and the accused, which led to physical fights between them. They came back to talking terms just a few days ago.
“The doctors told us that Surya could come out alive…but his condition began to deteriorate…and the next day, on May 29, he died at noon,” Yash said.
He said the post-mortem was conducted on Saturday, and the body was brought back home. “We demand the strongest punishment in this. What happened is scary and dangerous…how can they attack him like that?”
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
Also Read: Goats, housing societies & communal politics: A tense Bakrid in Mumbai