Pratapgarh: Dalit youth shot in the head for protesting against molestation of sister, five accused including Noor Jahan arrested

Pratapgarh News: Dalit youth Vikas, who protested against molestation of his sister in Pratapgarh, was killed by Ashfaq, Iqbal, Salamat, Rustam and Noor Jahan. A Dalit youth has been murdered in Pratapgarh district of Uttar Pradesh.

The name of the deceased is Vikas. Ashfaq, Iqbal, Salamat, Rustam and Noor Jahan have been accused of murder. On Thursday (6 June 2024), Vikas’s body was found lying under a bridge near the village. He was shot in the head. A day earlier on June 5, Ashfaq, Iqbal and Salamat had molested Vikas’s sister. Then Vikas had opposed it. Police have arrested Ashfaq, Iqbal, Salamat and Noor Jahan. Raids are being conducted in search of Rustam.

This incident is from Antu police station area of ??Pratapgarh district. Kamlesh Kumar, who belongs to the Dalit community, has filed a police complaint on 6 June (Thursday). In the complaint, he said that on 5 June, his daughter had gone out to defecate. During this time, Ashfaq, Iqbal and Salamat stopped the girl and started molesting her. When the girl protested, the three accused started abusing the victim with casteist slurs. Just then, the girl’s brother Vikas reached there. When Vikas also protested against the molestation of his sister, Ashfaq, Iqbal and Salamat threatened to kill him too.

According to the complainant, his son Vikas had gone missing from that day itself. The family members searched a lot but could not find anything. The next day, through the villagers, Kamlesh came to know that a dead body was lying under the bridge near the bypass. When Kamlesh went there and saw, the body was that of Vikas. Vikas was shot in the head. Vikas’s father alleged that his son was murdered by Ashfaq, Iqbal, Salamat and Rustam together. The police registered a case and started investigation.

Action has been taken against all these accused under sections 302, 201, 34, 354 (a) and 506 of IPC along with various sections of SC/ST Act. Police raided and arrested Ashfaq, Iqbal and Salamat. During the investigation, the name of 22-year-old Noorjahan came to light. Noorjahan is the sister of the main accused Ashfaq.

The other aspect of this case is that on 5 June 2024, Noorjahan’s sister Afsana had lodged an FIR against Vikas for molesting her sister and shooting her when she refused. It was alleged that the bullet had grazed Noorjahan. Now the police investigating the Vikas murder case also found Noorjahan’s involvement. After this, Noorjahan was arrested near Setapur Mosque in Antu area. Police is continuously raiding in search of the 5th accused Rustam who is absconding in this case. The houses of his relatives in Raniganj and Mandhata area were searched, but he is still out of reach.

Even though the population is less in the village, Muslims still have dominance. We talked to Kamlesh, father of the deceased Vikas. Kamlesh told us that the Muslim population in his village is less, but they still have dominance. There are about 150 houses in the village, out of which the number of Muslim families is only around half a dozen. It was claimed that the whole village is troubled by the acts of the accused. He told that the main occupation of the accused is to earn a living by driving. The relatives of the deceased also believe that Noor Jahan is the mastermind behind the entire incident. They also expressed themselves satisfied with the action of UP Police.

Kamlesh, father of the deceased Vikas told us that the Muslim population in his village is less, but they still have dominance. There are about 150 houses in the village, out of which the number of Muslim families is only around half a dozen. It was claimed that the whole village is troubled by the acts of the accused. He said that the main job of the accused was driving to earn a living. The family members of the deceased also believe that Noor Jahan is the mastermind behind the entire incident. They also expressed satisfaction with the action taken by the UP police.

Rustam is an old criminal

The father of the deceased is handicapped. He has a problem in his legs, due to which he is unable to walk properly. Vikas was about 24 years old. He was currently looking for a job after doing a computer course. Vikas’s uncle called Rustam, who is absconding, the biggest criminal among the accused. He claimed that Rustam has already served jail time in criminal cases. We were also told that Muslims in the village get support from outside.

Courtesy : Hindi News