Tension gripped in Uttar Pradesh’s Sonpur village after a 70-year-old madrassa owner and general secretary of Jamiat-e-Ulema Hind Pratapgarh chapter, Maulana Mohammad Farooque was allegedly beaten to death over a land dispute.
As per police reports, the incident occurred when the deceased was at the home of the accused to resolve the land dispute and the prime accused, Chandramani Tiwari, 45.
According to the media reports, the deceased Farooque had purchased land from Tiwari around seven years ago but had not taken the possession. Despite that, Tiwari continued using the land for cultivation and had recently borrowed more money from Farooque. However, after some time Tiwari sold the land to another party.
Speaking on the case, Farooque’s nephew Mohammad Sajid stated that Tiwari had invited Farooque to his home on Saturday to resolve the land issue, but the confrontation turned violent and Tiwari and his associates attacked Farooque with iron rods, leading to the fatal attack.
Response and investigation
The situation deteriorated in the area when Muslim-dominated village residents discovered Farooque’s blood-soaked body and started protesting. The angry villagers prevented the police from taking the body for post-mortem, demanding harsh actions against the perpetrators including the demolition of Tiwari’s house.
The angry protesters reportedly pelted stones and damaged the doors of the accused’s house prompting the police force to resort to lathicharges to disperse the crowd.
Amid the tension in the region, the Superintendent of Police (SP), senior administrative officials and the District Magistrate arrived at the village to calm the situation. They assured the angry crowd that stern action would be taken against the all accused.
The protest ceased after the official assured them of full legal support. Subsequently, the body was later sent for post-mortem and handed over to the family for final rites.
Legal action
An FIR has been registered against five individuals, including Chandramani Tiwari, based on a complaint by Farooque’s son, Mohammad Asad. A woman is also among the accused. The assailants fled the scene after the crime, locking their house, which is approximately 300 meters from the victim’s residence. Police teams are actively searching for the accused and raids are underway to nab them.
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