Two persons were arrested on Thursday in connection with the death of a 24-year-old Muslim truck driver who succumbed to his injuries four days after he was allegedly assaulted by a group of kanwariyas in Hapur district in Uttar Pradesh on July 31, The Hindu reported.
The police had registered a first information report against seven persons, including four kanwariyas, after Azeem Ali died.
Five persons, identified as Lokesh, Shivam, Ankit, Farman and Manish, along with two unidentified persons, were booked under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita pertaining to murder, rioting and voluntarily causing hurt.
Lokesh and Shivam were arrested on Thursday, The Hindu quoted Hapur Police as saying.
Ali was assaulted in Garhmukhteshwar town after the truck he was driving collided with an auto rickshaw hired by the kanwariyas. The collision allegedly injured the auto rickshaw driver, Farman, who was standing near the vehicle.
A purported video of the incident has been shared widely on social media, showing 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 August 4.
His father, Mohd Intezar, had filed a complaint with the police alleging that Farman and his associates assaulted his son, leaving him seriously injured.
On the other hand, Farman’s father filed a counter-complaint alleging that his son was hit by Ali’s truck.
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.
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 Sneha.
Also read: Kanwar Yatra’s deafening noise goes unheard by the state
We welcome your comments at letters@scroll.in.