jaipur

Updated: May 02, 2018 22:46 IST

The family of a Hindu woman allegedly thrashed her Muslim friend in Bikaner late on Tuesday evening, leading to his death at a hospital a few hours later in yet another incident of communal violence in Rajasthan, and one that is reminiscent of the killing in Delhi earlier this year of a Hindu boy by the family of his Muslim girlfriend.

The police confirmed that the man was attacked because of his relationship with the woman.

Saif Ali (22), who used to weigh fruits at a market, had gone to meet a woman in Rampura Basti at 9pm on Tuesday, Bikaner superintendent of police (SP) Sawai Singh Godara said. “Family members of the woman had planned to beat up Saif,” he added.

The district police chief said that the woman’s family took Ali to the Karni Industrial Area on the outskirts of the city in a car and beat him up. According to him, her family broke both of Ali’s legs and dumped him in a wastewater pond. A witness informed the police.

“Our team reached the spot and rescued Saif and admitted him to a hospital. His legs were badly disfigured. The doctors treated him but he died at 3:30am on Wednesday,” said Godara, adding that the exact cause of the death will emerge once the postmortem report is out.

An FIR has been lodged against Bunty, the woman’s cousin, Shiv Mali, Raja Sonar, Gopal Khati, Bablu Mali and two others for murder, abduction for murder, wrongful restraint, voluntarily causing hurt, eliminating evidence, and rioting, the police said. They have detained three people including Bunty.

“We’re interrogating the suspects and will arrest them after that. We have assured the man’s family of a fair investigation,” said Godara.

The body was buried on Wednesday evening after an autopsy.

One of Ali’s friends said he was the sole means of support for his parents as he was their only child. The woman was keen on marrying Ali, this person claimed, adding that Ali himself was reluctant because he was a Muslim and worried about the reaction to their wedding. Ali was also unwilling to get married because he was the only support for his parents, the friend added. According to him, Ali earned around Rs 6,000 a month.

The incident comes three months after a 23-year-old man was killed in front of his parents on a busy street in west Delhi, allegedly by family members of a woman he was in a relationship with. The family of the woman, identified only by her first name Shehzadi (20), was opposed to her relationship with Ankit Saxena, as they were from different communities.

It also follows several incidents of communal killings in Rajasthan, including that of a labourer from Bengal, Mohammed Afrazul, in Rajsamand last year. Afrazul was allegedly hacked to death by a man named Shambulal Regar, who recorded the killing on his cellphone.

In April 2017, cow trader Pehlu Khan died at a hospital after alleged assaulted by cow vigilantes in Alwar district. Later that year, a 35-year-old cow trader, Umar Mohammed, was found with bullet injuries on railway tracks in the same district. The police arrested two cow vigilantes in the case.