A 17-year-old boy was allegedly stabbed to death on May 28 in Khoda, Ghaziabad by a suspect who was killed in a police encounter on Sunday, May 31.
An encounter with a suspect in a recent murder case from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh has led to a debate over whether police action without a proper trial is justified, with opposition leaders calling on the Prime Minister Yogi Adityanath-led government to see the state descend into “anarchy”.Raj the jungle“.
The suspect wanted in connection with the May 28 murder of a class XI student in Ghaziabad’s Khoda area received a reward of Rs. $50,000 when he was arrested. He was killed in a shootout with police early on Sunday, May 31, after he opened fire on a police team that tried to stop him near Vasundhara.
Murder
According to police, the teenager was allegedly called to the street on May 28 by the suspect and his associates, where a dispute over a motorcycle escalated into violence, HT had earlier reported. Investigators said the suspect stabbed the boy and fled. The victim later died of his injuries.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (Indirapuram) Abhishek Srivastava told HT earlier that the incident took place around 3.30 pm on May 28.
The suspect apparently called the boy over to him, and a verbal argument ensued. The suspect quickly took out a knife, stabbed the boy and fled with his friends, the ACP said, adding that the injured boy’s friends called his family, and together they took him to a hospital in Noida, where he died on Friday.
The incident led to protests from members of other sects in the area on Friday. Officials said the 17-year-old was with two friends at the time of the accident.
The victim’s mother claimed that her son was asked about the goat sacrifice before he was attacked. The deceased mother told news agency ANI on Friday, June 29: “On Eid, a boy tricked my child into calling him. He was asked if he had ever seen a goat slaughtered, and he said no. Then he stabbed my child… I want justice…”
Speaking emotionally about the incident and alleging police inaction, the mother of the deceased said: “I was not at home; I was on duty. Someone called me and told me that my son had been stabbed. When I came, I saw my son’s face. After that, I could not see his face again for half a day. I want justice.”
Meeting the suspect and the politics around him
The prime suspect in the alleged murder of the 17-year-old boy in Ghaziabad was killed in a police encounter early Sunday after he allegedly opened fire on a police team trying to stop him near Vasundhara, officials said.
Police said the encounter took place around 3.30am when officers received information that the accused was carrying a reward $50,000, he was trying to escape on a motorcycle with an accomplice.
An earlier HT report quoted Dhawal Jaiswal, Deputy Commissioner of Police (City), as saying: “Police teams had set up barricades and were conducting searches when the motorcycle was spotted. The occupants were asked to stop, but they tried to escape and opened fire on the police team. The police responded, with the main suspect sustaining bullet wounds. His accomplice managed to escape.”
While Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, without naming people, referred to the Ghaziabad incident during a speech in Bijnor on Monday and said violence would not be tolerated, the Congress and the Samajwadi Party (SP) launched an attack on the state government over the incident.
Do you know what you do?… Aapne Ghaziabad me dekha hoga, dosti ki aadh me choorebaazi, sweekarya nahi, katayi sweekarya nahi hoga… agar koi apni nalayak aulad ko samjha nai paa raha hai toh samjho galti kar raha hai [What kind of friendship is this? You must have seen in Ghaziabad, stabbing spree under the pretext of dosti… it is not acceptable at all… if someone cannot make their worthless children understand, then they are committing a mistake]”,” Yogi Adityanath said.
Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai raised questions about the government, saying the state had descended into a wave of violence. Referring to the killing of the suspect, Al-Rai said that instead of true justice, the focus is on fake encounters.
“There have been several criminal incidents across the state, including in Ghaziabad, where a wrestler – a boy Tyagi – was brutally murdered. This ongoing series of murders continues. Recently, a prominent builder was murdered in broad daylight here in Lucknow, a hotelier’s son was shot dead in Ghazipur, and another murder took place in Jaunpur. What is happening under this administration? Instead of real justice, we see a focus on fake encounters,” Rai said.
“Prime Minister Yogi, look at what is happening; from Lucknow to Jaunpur and Ghazipur, innocent people and professionals are being targeted. This entire state has descended into a wave of violence. There is an entire jungle prevailing in Uttar Pradesh…” he said.
Maharashtra Samajwadi Party president Abu Asim Azmi said encounters were taking place in Uttar Pradesh with a “specific religious bias” and added that the same speed of action would not be displayed if the victim was a Muslim.
“No, this is completely wrong… A specific modus operandi has now been laid down. If they are indeed criminals, they deserve punishment by all means. If the crime is of a very serious nature, sentence them to death, but for this very purpose, there is a constitution, which stipulates a specific procedure… However, in UP, it seems to be carried out with a specific religious bias,” Azmi said.
“If a Muslim is killed by someone, the confrontation does not happen quickly… However, if a Hindu is killed, whether by a Muslim or a Yadav, the confrontation happens very quickly. This is not an acceptable approach. You should not drag religion into this. Whether the individual is a Muslim, a Hindu, a Sikh, a Christian, a Parsi, or anyone else, the criminal should all be dealt with in exactly the same way, without distinction…” he added.
Meanwhile, the Ghaziabad district administration on Monday initiated measures to demolish the alleged unauthorized house of the prime suspect in the Khuda murder, a day after the accused was killed in a police encounter in Vasundhara.
Officials pasted a 15-day notice outside the house, stating that the building had been built on government land and directing its occupants to vacate the building. The action comes amid a widespread crackdown on properties allegedly linked to criminal activities.
Three other people were arrested in the case, including the suspect’s 45-year-old father and his accomplices Farhan and Atif, both 19 years old. The father is currently detained before the judiciary.
Sub-district magistrate (Sadr) Arun Dixit said the preliminary investigation by revenue officials found that the house was located on government land.
HT had earlier quoted Dixit as saying, “A notice was pasted… The preliminary investigation by the Khuda Executive Officer and the Naib Tehsildar found that the house was located on government land. The family had been living there for the past eight years and had moved into a rented accommodation two months ago.”
The notice was issued under Section 136 of the Uttar Pradesh Revenue Code, which deals with the eviction of encroachers on gram sabha lands, officials said.
