The police have booked 10 named (all names given above) and six-seven unnamed accused for the murder, under IPC sections 120-B, 506, 504, 302, 149, 148 and 147 and section 7 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1932.

Later, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath directed authorities to charge the accused under the National Security Act (NSA) as per reports. He also reportedly announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh for the family of the deceased.

What the deceased’s brother told Swarajya

Birju, 38, told this correspondent that Loten is survived by his wife and three children – the youngest is just five. Like Birju, Loten was a labourer.

Birju said that around 9 am on Sunday, yesterday, he saw 15-20 men armed with rods and pistols charging towards his colony. “Loten had just come out of bath and was going to the kitchen to prepare tea. Both my wife and Loten’s wife were in the field. When he saw some men pointing a pistol at my head, he came to rescue me and was fired at,” said Birju.

“His skull opened and he died on the spot.”

Birju said that fifteen minutes earlier, there had been a scuffle between “Hindus and Muslims”.



“Former pradhan of village Deshraj Akela commented while reading a newspaper that it is the foreigners associated with Tablighi Jamaat who are spreading Corona in India. The lone Muslim man sitting in the group slapped Deshraj for saying this. It was so hard that Deshraj began to bleed. The men from our side reacted, saying this calls for a police case. They dialled the police’s number there itself, but the call did not go through. After that, the group dispersed,” Birju told this correspondent over the phone.

“I was not present at the spot when it happened, but came to know about it as some men from our side continued to dial the police’s number. None of us however expected that Muslims would soon return to attack us,” he said.

Birju said that even though the village is “70 percent Hindu and 30 percent Muslim”, the latter dominate. “Unka hi dabdaba hai. Hum kamaane-khaane wale log hain. Wo paise wale hain. Unke paas hathiyar hain. Hum weak party hain [They dominate us. We have a hand-to-mouth existence. They are rich and have arms. We are the weak party],” he said.

“Hindus of our village live in perpetual fear. There are many men from the Muslim community who have scores of police cases against them, but are roaming free,” he said.

Birju said that most Hindus in the village belong to the Nishad caste, which is notified among the ‘most backward classes’ in the state.

“Hindu families have been steadily leaving the village. Ask anyone around and you will hear about it,” he said.

Birju said that the family has no option now other than migrating out of the village in the coming months. “Dushmani bandh hi gayi hai. Jaana hi padega. Abhi police bhaari sankhya mein tainaat hai. Kal nahi rahegi [we have become their rivals now. We have no option but to go. The police are deployed in huge numbers right now, but they won’t remain here forever],” he said.

Birju said that around 200 cops and security personnel were present in the village on Monday.

This correspondent could not get Deshraj’s contact number till the time of publishing this report. However, his statement given to several news channels corroborates Birju’s version.

What newspaper reports say:

The headline of the case’s report in today’s Indian Express says, ‘Youth accuses Tabhligi Jaamat of spreading coronavirus, shot dead in Prayagraj’.

The newspaper has quoted Prayagraj Circle Officer Amit Srivastava as saying, “During preliminary investigation, it came to light that the victim today made allegations that a particular community and Tablighi Jamaat members are responsible for spreading coronavirus, during a discussion with neighbours. Members of the other community objected to the remarks following which heated arguments took place.”

The headline of the case’s report in today’s Hindustan Times says, ‘Man killed in UP after argument over Jamaat event’

The newspaper has quoted SSP Satyarth Anirudh Pankaj as saying, “They allegedly had an argument while reading a newspaper, following which some persons attacked another group and opened fire. Sonu and Qadir were arrested and raids were being carried out to nab some others, named by Nishad’s kin.”

Besides English newspaper, Hindi newspapers such as Amar Ujala and Dainik Jagran have carried details reports of the case, which are on similar lines.

The headline of the case’s report in Amar Ujala says, ‘प्रयागराजः पूर्व प्रधान व मृतक की भतीजी भाभी को भी हत्यारों ने किया घायल’, translated as ‘Prayagraj: Former pradhan and deceased’s bhabhi and niece also injured by killers’.

The headline of the case‘s report in Dainik Jagran says, प्रयागराज में जमातियों पर टिप्पणी करने वाले की हत्या, CM के निर्देश पर हत्यारा एनएसए में नामजद, translated as ‘In Prayagraj, person killed for commenting on Jamaatis, killer booked under NSA on CM‘s directions’.

How Prayagraj police‘s tweet is being misused to white-wash the crime

It’s quite clear from these numerous versions that Loten Nishad was killed in a communal crime. In fact, the killers also harboured casteist hate against him. The murder has evidently created communal tension in the area.

From where, then, did the claims that the crime had no communal motive emerge?

These claims are based on an incorrect reading of a tweet by Prayagraj police’s account.

After the crime created a sensation on social media, the Prayagraj police’s Twitter handle responded to several users. The police’s tweet said (as translated) said, “The deceased and the accused side are both neighbours. No information of any of the parties being associated with Tablighi Jamaat has come to light.”