The accused were named in the FIR as Chhotu Musalman, Ajju Musalman (22), Kallu Musalman (23) and Irfan Musalman (19). They were booked under IPC sections 294, 323, 452, 34 and 307, and sections of the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act.

Amit Sanghi, Superintendent of Police (SP) of Sagar, told this correspondent that a fifth accused – Babli alias Danny Khan (42) – was later added in the case based on Dhan Prasad’s statement to the magistrate in the district hospital (a copy of which is with Swarajya). IPC sections 147, 148 and 149 were added. After Dhan Prasad died, section 302 (murder) was also added.

All the five accused have been arrested, Sanghi said.

Contrary to the statement in the FIR, Janaki and Guddu say that the scuffle between Dhan Prasad and the alleged attackers broke out after a man from the Muslim side hurled an abuse directed at his sister-in-law.

Guddu signals his younger brother, Sachin, to come and narrate what happened that afternoon.

Sachin is eight. He says that he was playing in the open area when a man asked him to go elsewhere. When Sachin protested, the man told him that he would pack the body of chamaar people in sacks and send them to the mandi [market].

“I said that if you do so, the police would arrest you. He let out an expletive directed at my aunt. I abused him in return. Then, I went inside and told my chacha [Dharmendra, younger brother of Dhan Prasad] about it. He got furious and called up elder chacha [Dhan Prasad],” the child says.

Guddu says that Dhan Prasad thus came home early that day. “I don’t know what unfolded next, but soon, I saw the crowd outside our house,” he says.

The room where Dhan Prasad was allegedly set on fire is cramped and small, barely five feet in length. On the floor, a garlanded framed picture of Dhan Prasad is kept.