On the 24th of November, a Muslim mob invaded a Hindu family’s farm, claiming it to be Waqf property, in Uttar Pradesh’s Etah district. The attackers who threw stones and used sticks to attack Hindus are alleged to be associated with a dargah. Three members of the Upadhyay family were injured during the incident and are being treated. Out of the 15 named attackers, the police have arrested Farman and Rafiq, while the search for the remaining attackers is ongoing.
This is a case from the Jalesar police station area in Etah, wherein Sunil Kumar Upadhyay filed a complaint with the police on Saturday night. In the case, he stated that he owns 24 Bigha land near Vasant Talkies. A dargah is located close to the road from this land. People linked with the dargah were clashing over Sunil’s ancestral land. The Dargah committee claimed that the land belonged to the Waqf. After this, on the 6th of November, the local authorities measured the land and settled the issue.
During the measurement, representatives from the Waqf Board were present. To avoid any further dispute, Sunil and his family had the administration mark the boundaries of their land on Sunday. Suddenly, a Muslim mob arrived at the site at 4:30 p.m. carrying stones and sticks in their hands. When one of the mob attackers saw Sunil’s family, he shouted, “Kill these bastards today.”
Subsequently, the violent mob attacked the Upadhyay family with lathis and stones were pelted. Some of the attackers also demolished the boundary wall built by Sunil. The number of attackers arriving from the direction of the nearby Dargah is said to be around 150. Along with demolishing the boundary wall, the attackers also vandalised the vehicles, tables and chairs parked there. This incident created an atmosphere of chaos in the surrounding area and the shopkeepers in the vicinity closed their shops out of fear.
Three members of the Upadhyay family, Monu, Sanjay and Suresh were injured during the mob violence and are receiving medical treatment. Somehow, Sunil informed the police about the incident and soon after, the police reached the spot. Seeing the police vehicles arriving, the attackers fled from the spot. While leaving, they also threatened to kill Sunil and his family members. The victim has demanded strict action against the accused.
In his complaint, Sunil Upadhyay has named Rafiq, Arman, Bablu, Wasim, Farman, Nasir, Shakir, Danish, Nadeem, Nasir, Arshad, Shakeel, Irfan, Mahfooz, Yamin and Muzammil. All of them have been booked under sections 191 (2), 191 (3), 190, 109, 115 (2), 352, 351 (3), 125 and 324 (4) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) along with section 7 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1932.
— Etah Police (@Etahpolice) November 25, 2024
OpIndia has obtained a copy of the complaint. The video of this violence is also going viral on social media. Police teams were formed and raids were conducted in search of the absconding accused. On Monday (25th November), the police arrested Farman and Rafiq. Meanwhile, a Police team has been deployed at the spot and raids are being conducted to arrest other accused.
