Holi argument turns deadly in UP: 60-year-old man from minority community shot dead

On Sunday, Aas Mohammad and his son were on their way to deliver food to his other sons, who work at a brick kiln. Just as they crossed Pinkal’s home, he allegedly passed remarks at the victim — triggering a heated exchange of words that escalated as several others joined the altercation.

Police said that’s when Pinkal suddenly ran to his house, returned with a rifle and opened fire. One of the bullets struck Aas Mohammad. He was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. Pinkal fled the spot.

Aas Mohammad’s family lodged a complaint and police registered an FIR against Pinkal and his four associates at Karanda police station. Ashok Kumar, Station House Officer of Karanda police station, said Pinkal’s involvement came to light during their preliminary inquiry.

A resident of Chadipur village, Aas Mohammad is survived by his wife and seven children. A police team is deployed in the village, which has a mixed population, to avoid any untoward incident.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Sonu, the victim’s son, alleged Pinkal often picked fights with his family, particularly targeting the children of his elder brother, Kaleem, by passing objectionable remarks at them. He alleged that such behaviour had become frequent and had created tension in the village.

“Everyone in the village was fed up with him because he kept passing remarks at people,” Sonu claimed, adding that Pinkal’s repeated attempts to allegedly provoke and harass others had led to several disputes in the past as well.

Circle Officer, Ghazipur, Shekhar Sengar, said police are also probing the role of Pinkal’s associates who have been named in the case. The rifle allegedly used in the crime is a licenced weapon in the name of Pinkal’s father, Arvind Pandey, a businessman.