NEW DELHI: A 29-year-old man from Manipur was allegedly beaten to death by a group of five youth on Monday in Delhi’s Kotla Mubarakpur. However, the police said it was a road rage incident and not a racial attack.
Union Minister of State for Home, Kiren Rijiju, described the alleged killing as ‘serious’ and ‘disturbing’, and assured a thorough probe into the case.
“I have just seen the report. We are very disturbed. The report says that it is an unprovoked pre-planned attack,” Rijiju said. He later visited AIIMS trauma centre and said the police have been quite swift in the case.
The incident took place six months after the murder of Nido Tania, 19, a student from Arunachal Pradesh. The case had led to nationwide outrage and a national debate on discrimination against people from the Northeast.
The incident took place at 2.15 am on Monday, when the victim, identified as Akha Salouni, was walking with two friends. On Sunday afternoon, the three friends -- Salouni, Dihe Kazhiihrii, 25, and Nagendra Sharma, 40, -- had met at Munirka, consumed alcohol and left for Masoodpur Colony to attend a party.
They then hired an auto rickshaw. As they were nearing Kotla, a Hyundai Verna car began honking repeatedly, but the rickshaw driver did not give way. The occupants of the car began abusing the rickshaw driver, after which the three friends replied back. Kazhiihrii and Sharma managed to escape. The police arrived at the spot at 2.50 am.
“The victim was found unconscious and was rushed to AIIMS trauma centre, but, he died soon,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police, B S Jaiswal.