A 24-year-old Muslim truck driver died of his injuries four days after he was assaulted by a group of kanwariyas in Hapur district in Uttar Pradesh, The Print reported on Friday.

The assault followed an argument after Azeem Ali’s truck collided with an auto-rickshaw hired by the kanwariyas in Garhmukhteshwar town on July 31. The collision allegedly injured the auto-rickshaw driver, Farman, who was standing near the vehicle. Ali was then allegedly pulled out of his truck and assaulted.

A purported video of the incident has been shared widely on social media which shows Ali being assaulted by a group of men in the presence of a police officer.

Ali was initially taken to hospital in Meerut and later shifted to Delhi as his condition worsened. He reportedly went into a coma and died at a Delhi hospital on Tuesday, The Print reported.

A first information report has been registered against seven persons, including four kanwariyas, in connection with Ali’s murder.

Five persons identified as Manish, Ankit, Lokesh, Shivam and Farman, along with two unidentified persons, have been booked under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita pertaining to murder, rioting and voluntarily causing hurt, The Print reported.

No arrests have been made so far.

The Hapur Police said that a case was filed on the basis of a written complaint and proceedings were under way.

Meanwhile, Farman’s father filed a counter-complaint alleging that his son was hit by Ali’s truck, The Print reported.

Based on the complaint, the police have registered a separate case against Ali on charges of attempted murder.

According to the second FIR, Farman suffered serious injuries and was undergoing treatment at hospital.

During the Kanwar Yatra, devotees, known as kanwariyas, walk hundreds of kilometres to collect water from the Ganga near Haridwar and carry it back to their home states to offer at temples. The yatra began on July 30 and will end on August 11.

Edited by Tanya Shrivastava.

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