Rajasthan murder caught on video: Victim’s family wants accused to be publicly hanged

india

Updated: Dec 07, 2017 20:22 IST

Family members of a 50-year-old labourer from West Bengal who was allegedly axed and burnt in Rajasthan have demanded a public hanging of the accused, who was arrested by police on Thursday.

Sorrow has turned to anger in the native village Afrazul Islam, who has been working as a labourer in Rajasthan for the past 12 years and regularly sends money to his mother, wife and daughter.

Afrazul’s native village — Saidapur in Kaliachak of Malda — is more than 310 km from Kolkata.

An unemployed man, Shambhu Lal Regar, is purportedly seen in the video hitting Islam, pouring petrol over him and setting him on fire. Regar, and his nephew who shot the videos, have been arrested.

“I spoke to my son in the morning before he was killed. I don’t know the reason behind his murder. I have seen the video, the guilty should be punished,” Islam’s mother said on Thursday.

Islam’s wife alleged that her husband was lured to the site of the murder.

“They (the accused) called him on the pretext of offering a job, and asked him to follow to the site. The man was following my husband, and attacked him from behind to go to a site for giving some work,” said Gul Bahar Bibi.

Their daughter was supposed to get married in two months.

“Yesterday (Wednesday), we got the news that he was murdered. I am sure he had no love affair with anyone. I want the culprits to be hanged publicly. I don’t know how I will arrange money for the marriage of my daughter,’’ said Islam’s wife.

The incident also led to a political backlash in the state.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee condemned the killing on Twitter.

“We strongly condemn the heinous killing of a labourer from Bengal in Rajasthan. How can people be so inhuman. Sad,” she wrote.

Lok Sabha MP and CPI(M) politburo member Md Salim demanded “strong action” against the guilty

“The incident goes to prove how BJP has spread poison across the country,” said Md Salim.

Hundreds of neighbours and villagers reached Islam’s home in the remote village on Thursday after the news of the killing spread.

(With ANI inputs)