New Delhi: A Muslim man succumbed to his injuries from a mob beating Tuesday, for allegedly eating prasad from a makeshift worship stall in North East Delhi.
The capital’s police, however, would not confirm if the incident was communal, saying the 26-year-old Isar Ahmed was suspected to be a thief.
A viral video of the thrashing showed Ahmed tied to a pole as the group mercilessly rained down blows on him while hurling abuses. The incident took place around 5 am on Tuesday.
Profusely bleeding, Ahmed was brought home by his neighbour Aamir in a rickshaw, the police said.
Ahmed’s 60-year-old father Abdul Wajid, a fruit seller, said, “When I came home around 6.30 pm, Ahmed was still bleeding and crying in pain. He told me he had eaten the prasad kept in front of the Ganpati idol. The mob beat him up with sticks and rods. There were marks all over his body.”
Ahmed died soon after, around 7 pm, and the police were alerted shortly before 11 pm. His body has been sent for post-mortem.
In recent times, incidents of violence against individuals based on their religious identity have been alarming. Such cases, including the tragic story of a man lynched over suspicion of theft, highlight the ongoing issues of communal tensions and mob justice in society. For more on this, see the article about an Aligarh man lynched over suspicion of theft.
Ahmed, who was the only son, is survived by four sisters and aged parents.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Joy Tirkey said: “Isar told his father that some boys caught him near G4 Block in Sunder Nagri around 5 am Tuesday. They thought he was a thief and tied him to a pole. They thrashed him for some time with sticks. He identified his assailants as those living near the G4 Block.”
A charge for murder has been registered and the investigation was in progress, the DCP added. The senior officer, however, did not respond to the query if the crime was communal. This copy will be updated if he gets back.
An inconsolable Wajid said his son mostly kept to himself and would do odd jobs. “Even if he ate the prasad, why would you kill someone over it? How is it theft? And is this the punishment for eating offerings to God?” the father asked.
Edited by Tikli Basu
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