A 30-year-old Hindu man was brutally killed when his throat was slit with a sword by a Muslim youth in a crowded market square in Sant Kabir Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh late on Thursday night, with police suspecting the attack was a planned act of revenge over an eve-teasing incident five days earlier. Anand Kumar, a resident of Kolki Chamarasan village who had recently returned from work in Chennai, was attacked by Nasir Ali at Babhani Chowk under the Bakhira police station area, around 28 km from the district headquarters. He died on the spot from severe neck wounds inflicted in the presence of onlookers.
According to police and eyewitness accounts, the motive stemmed from a confrontation at a wedding function around five days before the murder. Nasir Ali, an 18-year-old from nearby Kusumha village in the same area, had allegedly molested or eve-teased Anand’s niece. When Anand came to know of it, he confronted Nasir Ali and slapped him. This public humiliation apparently festered into a grudge, leading Nasir Ali and his associates to plot retaliation. On Thursday night, Anand had gone to Babhani Chowk for some work and was still there in the evening when the attackers struck.
Nasir Ali arrived at the chowk along with four to five companions. One of them handed him a sword, after which Nasir Ali allegedly delivered a severe blow to Anand’s neck, slitting his throat and causing fatal injuries. Anand collapsed and died immediately at the spot. The accused then fled the scene.
Anand’s cousin Rohit, who was present at the spot, later told police that he saw other members of the group cleaning the weapon and attempting to destroy evidence. Initial investigation by police has confirmed the link to the wedding dispute, and a case has been registered against four persons, including named accused Nasir Ali, Nirhu (from Kusumha) and Jaigam (from Jivdhara village), on the complaint of the victim’s father, Indresh.
The gruesome killing in a crowded public place triggered immediate outrage. Enraged villagers blocked the road at the Babhani intersection and set fire to Nasir Ali’s barber shop as well as his house. Some reports also mentioned a roadside shop belonging to associates being torched. The situation turned chaotic as hundreds of locals, including women armed with sticks, gathered.
On Friday morning, around 500 villagers blocked the Lilabad-Mehdawal road using tractor-trolleys, staged protests and clashed with police, who resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the crowd. Anand’s wife, Meena Devi, who is left with two young daughters, three-year-old Ananya and six-month-old Aradhya, clung to her husband’s body and demanded “a life for a life”, insisting on encounters for the accused and bulldozer action against their properties.
Family members reportedly scuffled with police when the ambulance carrying the body broke down en route to the post-mortem.
Senior police and district officials rushed to the spot to control the situation and review the crime scene. Superintendent of Police Sandeep Kumar Meena, along with Circle Officer and teams from multiple police stations, reached the area. Later, Additional Director General of Police Ashok Mutha Jain, DIG Sanjeev Tyagi and District Magistrate Alok Kumar also inspected the spot.
Police have formed several teams and are conducting raids to arrest the absconding accused. ADG Jain stated that arrests would be made soon, while SP Meena confirmed that multiple teams were actively searching for Nasir Ali and his associates. Bulldozer action was carried out on Friday afternoon, demolishing Nasir Ali’s barber shop and the chicken shop linked to one of his associates. An FIR has been registered, and police are investigating the role of all those involved, including the person who allegedly supplied the sword.
As of the latest reports on Friday evening, none of the main accused have been arrested, and police continue their search operations.
