Tension in Delhi locality after murder gets communal twist
...quarrel started during a party over shutting down of a restaurant... Any other motive alluded... is wrong A TWEET FROM THE DCP’S OFFICIAL HANDLE
NEW DELHI: Tension simmered in Delhi’s Mangolpuri on Friday after the murder of a 25-year-old man took a communal twist even as police said their investigations revealed that the crime was a result of personal enmity.
Police said extra force was deployed in the area — in northwest Delhi — as the killing of Rinku Sharma, who was stabbed while returning home from a birthday party on Wednesday night, appeared to turn political owing to his links with some Hindu groups.
Some leaders from the BJP — including Kapil Mishra and Delhi unit chief Adesh Gupta — said on social media that Sharma was collecting money for construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Mishra even linked the killing to the collection drive, as posts demanding “justice” for Sharma gained traction through the day. Gupta and party MP Hans Raj Hans also visited Sharma’s house, as did AAP MLA Rakhi Birla.
Delhi Police, who on Friday arrested a fifth person in relation to Sharma’s death, however, said that Sharma and the accused were known to each other for a long time and got into a fight at a party over the shutting down of a friend’s restaurant.
NEW DELHI: Tension simmered in Delhi’s Mangolpuri on Friday after the murder of a 25-year-old man took a communal twist even as police said their investigations revealed that the crime was a result of personal enmity.
Police said extra force was deployed in the area -- in northwest Delhi -- as the killing of Rinku Sharma, who was stabbed while returning home from a birthday party on Wednesday night, appeared to turn political owing to his links with some Hindu groups.
Some leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) -including Kapil Mishra and Delhi unit chief Adesh Gupta -said on social media that Sharma was collecting money for construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Mishra even linked the killing to the collection drive, as posts demanding “justice” for Sharma gained traction through the day.
Gupta and party MP Hans Raj Hans also visited Sharma’s house to meet his family, as did Aad Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Rakhi Birla.
Delhi Police, who on Friday arrested a fifth person in relation to Sharma’s death, however, said that Sharma and the accused were known to each other for a long time, got into a fight at a party over the shutting down of a mutual friend’s restaurant, and the row escalated into Sharma being stabbed later that night.
The five arrested are Mohammad Danish,36, Mohammad Islam, 45, Zahid, 26, Mohammad Mehtab, 20, and Tajuddin, 39.
Denying any communal angle to the murder, the official handle of deputy commissioner of police (outer) tweeted at 10.26am: “So far, during investigation, it has surfaced that quarrel started during a birthday party over shutting down of a restaurant... All persons are known to each other and live in the same locality. Any other motive alluded to this incident is factually wrong.”
Sharma’s family members, however, said on Friday some of the accused had fought with him last August because of his links with Hindu groups. “Rinku was associated with Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal. Last year in August when Rinku and his friends carried out a Ram Rath Yatra (procession), these people objected to it and fought with him. It is a retaliation of that which led to his murder,” Sharma’s brother Mannu said, adding that some of the accused objected to reciting the Hanuman Chalisa outside his house.
Sharma worked as a lab technician at a private hospital. His father works in an export firm.
Reacting to the family’s statement, Delhi Police spokesperson Chinmoy Biswal said investigators were looking into all possible angles.
Detailing the background
sequence of events leading to Sharma’s murder, police said that Sharma was a friend of Akash (second name not known) whose younger brother Sachin had opened a restaurant in Rohini last year. The restaurant shut down shut due to losses, and Sachin blamed their acquaintance Zahid — who also owns a restaurant in the same area — for this.
Police said that Sharma, Akash, Sachin, Zahid and another friend, Golu, were at the birthday party on Wednesday night. An argument broke out between Sachin and Zahid, during which Sachin slapped Zahid, leading to a scuffle that also involved Golu and Sharma. As the fight escalated, Zahid called his uncle Islam, and acquaintances Danish and Mehtab. Later, when Sharma and Akash were heading home from the party,
Zahid, and his accomplices Danish, Islam and Mehtab intercepted and assaulted them.
Police said Danish stabbed Sharma with a knife, and Akash, who tried to save him, was also injured in the attack. Sharma was rushed to a nearby hospital, where the doctors pronounced him dead. The hospital staff reported the matter to the police.
Reacting to the police saying there was no communal angle in Sharma’s murder, Mishra said: “Police needs to listen to the family before coming to a conclusion. This is not an isolated incident in Delhi. Ankit Saxena, Dhruv Tyagi, Dr Narang, all were killed in the same manner. Police have to improve a lot.”
The AAP called for strict punishment to the perpetrators but appealed that the incident not be given a communal colour. “The Aam Aadmi Party demands that strictest action be taken against those found guilty in the case. They should be arrested, jailed and hanged. The punishment should be strictest, in accordance with the law of the land. Secondly, we also urge people not to give communal colour to the incident,” AAP leader Durgesh Pathak said.
Speaking about the circumstances of the arrest, additional deputy commissioner of police (outer) Sudhanshu Dhama said Danish and his friends were identified early in the probe, and caught in a police raid.
“Sharma and Danish lived in the same area and were familiar with each other. Medical examination revealed that Sharma had one stab wound in his abdomen and probably died of excessive bleeding. While Danish and Islam work as tailors, Zahid is a third-year college student and Mehtab is a student of Class 12. All of them are adults. None of them have any previous criminal involvement. Further probe is underway,” he said.
Experts cautioned against allowing the incident to turn into a communal issue.
“To make sure that the matter is not blown out of hand, the police should loudly proclaim the real reason behind the murder. If some politicians are flaring up the matter, their party leaders must be apprised of the situation and they must intervene to stop anything like this from snowballing into a communal riot-like situation,” said Julio Ribeiro, former chief of police in Bombay and Punjab, adding that the incident seemed to be due to personal enmity.
Former Delhi Police commissioner Neeraj Kumar said in such situations police must make sure that those spreading misinformation are under preventive custody. “Preventive deployment can help control the situation from flaring up and maintaining law and order. The involvement of local leaders also helps in pacifying the residents. Decisions are to be taken according to the situation on the ground,” Kumar said.