LUCKNOW: In a turn of events related to the elopement of a couple that led to the lynching of an elderly Muslim man by suspected Hindu Yuva Vahini (HYV) activists, police on Thursday found the couple in Haryana.
Senior superintendent of police, Bulandshahr, Muniraj G said on Thursday that both the boy and the girl were major and were in police custody. An attempt to confirm the girl’s age was underway. Earlier, a Muslim boy named Yusuf from Sohi village near Pahasu in Bulandshahr district had eloped with a Hindu girl from the neighbouring Fazalpur village triggering communal tension in the area.
Following this, suspected activists of Hindu Yuva Vahini allegedly reached the village asking the Muslim families to divulge information about the couple. In the melee, they allegedly lynched Gulam Mohammad, 60, while he was working in his mango orchard, suspecting his role in facilitating the elopement. The woman’s father had registered a complaint with the police accusing Yusuf of kidnapping his daughter.
Mohammad’s son Vakil Ahmad lodged an FIR against a person called Gavinder and his five accomplices for lynching his father. The police have arrested three persons — Honey Raghav, Pulkit Sharma, and Lalit Sharma — while the hunt for the main accused was still on, according to a senior district police officer.
However, the SSP of Bulandshahr denied having any evidence against the HYV but added no one would be spared and strict action would be taken against the perpetrators of the crime. The SSP said further investigation into the case would reveal the motive behind Mohammad’s lynching. “Whether it was a collective activity or an individual animosity, will be found only after thorough probe,” he stated. HYV district chief Nagendra Tomar has denied any role of his aides.
The couple will be produced before a magistrate in the district, according to an official.