lucknow

Updated: May 30, 2019 12:18 IST

Four teenagers were allegedly attacked brutally with swords, cricket stumps and bricks and the assailants also chopped off three fingers of one of the victims on Tuesday at around 4 am when they were returning from a fair and going for morning prayer, in Gorakhpur’s Ghosipurwa locality, police said.

The deadly attack on the Muslim teens created tension in the area, which continued on Wednesday, even as police failed to act against unidentified assailants.

The reason behind the attack was not known.

According to locals, the assailants belonged to another community, residing close to their locality. Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Dr Sunil Gupta termed the incident as clash between two groups of teenagers. “During Bale Mia Ka Mela, one group beat up the other after a minor scuffle over some issue and left the scene. The other groups chased them in an auto and beat them up in retaliation. We have received a complaint from both sides. For the attacks on the four teens, an FIR against unknown persons has been filed and section of 324 IPC was added later. Further sections will be added on the basis of medical reports that are awaited.”

The victims were identified as Waseem, 14 (whose fingers were chopped off), Jeeshan 14 (stabbed in the stomach), Sameer, 15 and Atif, 14 -- all friends residing in Ghosipurwa locality.

Jeeshan and Atif have been admitted to district hospital as their condition continued to be critical, while the other two are undergoing treatment at a private hospital.

Police had initially registered an FIR under bailable section 147 (rioting) but later added section 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt ) and 324 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons) of the IPC against unknown assailants, triggering a protest from locals who accused the police of going soft on the assailants.

Locals alleged that the police did not take the help of CCTV footage to identify the culprits and demanded addition of section 307 (attempt to murder) in the FIR. “Around 15 to 20 people arrived in a tempo, intercepted the victims and attacked them with swords bricks and stumps. They dragged Waseem to the side of the tempo and kicked him repeatedly as he kept asking why they were beating him,” said Waseem’s mother.