A 21-year-old Dalit student from Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut was found dead on a medical college campus under mysterious circumstances, raising concerns of possible revenge killing linked to a caste-based humiliation he suffered last year.
In November 2023, the deceased identified as Ritik Singh was reportedly brutally assaulted by a group belonging to an upper-caste community who urinated on him and filmed the act. The incident later surfaced on social media and sparked huge public outrage. A case was filed against the perpetrators but justice has been slow.
Circumstances of death
Ritik was found dead on Tuesday, November 26, in Meerut Medical College where his father was informed on the phone to rush to the emergency room.
CCTV footage has surfaced on social media that shows Ritik, presumed unconscious, being carried by a man from a guest house in Meerut. The man is seen abandoning Ritik’s body at the medical college and immediately fleeing the scene.
The incident reportedly occurred just a day after a court hearing related to the previous urinating assault, leading his family to suspect foul play.
Family’s allegations
Ritik’s family alleged that he was poisoned after dining with two persons shortly before his death. The deceased’s family strongly believes that his death is directly connected to the earlier incident of humiliation and violence.
They argue that the lack of police action against the previous attack encouraged perpetrators to operate freely, ultimately leading to Ritik’s demise.
His sister expressed her frustration and said that the police could not link the two events, noting that if the earlier case had been handled appropriately, her brother might have been alive.
Police statement
According to the reports, preliminary investigations have led police to arrest one person, Rahul Singh while the other two persons, Sonu Kumar and Yuvraj Singh are being questioned. Police are waiting for the postmortem report in order to ascertain the cause of the death.
Speaking on the case senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Vipin Tada however stated that the accused who committed the crime of urinating are different from the three the victim was partying with on Monday night.
“Prima facie, there doesn’t seem to be a link. Besides, there is a question if the intention was to kill him, why would the killers take him to a hotel and not a secluded place? But investigations are ongoing, and we are looking at all possible angles,” Tada was quoted by TOI.
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