Lucknow: Tension prevailed in communally sensitive Aligarh town in Uttar Pradesh after a Muslim youth was allegedly lynched to death by a mob, who took him to be a thief, late on Tuesday night.
According to the police sources here, an irate mob, protesting against the killing, indulged in heavy stone pelting and squatted on the road demanding arrest of the culprits.
Sources said that six people, including members of the family of a trader, were detained in this connection after examining the video footage of the incident.
Police said that the deceased, identified as 35-year old Farid alias Aurangzeb, was caught by some people, while he was trying to enter the house of a trader in Mamu-Bhanja locality in the town late on Tuesday night.
Farid, who was taken to be a thief by the people, was hit repeatedly by lathis and sticks. A video, which went viral on social media, purportedly showed a mob hitting and kicking Farid. A police team, which reached upon being informed, took Farid to the hospital where he was declared dead by the doctors.
A large mob soon gathered in front of the hospital as the news of lynching spread in the town. Some Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) students' leaders also reached there and held protests against the incident.
As the police detained some members of the trader's family in connection with the killing, the traders, who were led by the local BJP leaders, in the town downed their shutters in protest against the police action. They also forced closure of other shops and squatted on the road demanding immediate release of the arrested people.
A senior police official said in Aligarh that a case was registered and the matter was being investigated. He also said that security personnel in strength had been deployed at all sensitive places and a strict vigil was being maintained.
Published 19 June 2024, 12:23 IST