A 28-year-old man was allegedly beaten and stabbed to death by eight people in Agra's communally-sensitive Rakabganj area late Monday. The police said they have deployed forces from four nearby districts besides personnel of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and local police in the area to prevent any possibility of the situation taking an ugly turn following the murder. Mohammed Waqar Yunus, the father of Abid Qureshi alias Musa, lodged an FIR at the Rakabganj police station late Monday. Yunus has named Sanju, Titu, Vikram, Santoshi, Kallu, and Vikram, and two others in the FIR. The police said they have arrested seven men, including the six named in the FIR, so far. “We were informed that an injured person was found lying unconscious near the railway track passing through the Mantola and Rakabganj localities. He was rushed to the hospital where he was declared brought dead. An FIR in this connection has been lodged at the Rakab Ganj police station against eight persons. We have arrested seven persons so far while six police teams are searching others named in the FIR,” said Agra Police Commissioner Pritinder Singh. Singh said the arrested men have been sent to jail after being produced in a local court. "Elaborate security arrangements have been made in the affected parts of the city and the situation is under total control. Police patrolling has been intensified to ensure that the situation may not get worse," the PRO, SSP (Agra) told The Indian Express over the phone. Abid’s eldest brother Nasir Qureshi said Abid, who was the second among four brothers, was employed in a shoe factory. “Monday was his off day and he went out of the house around 6 pm and when he did not come home late in the night we looked for him. Later, we were informed that the police found an injured man near the railway track. We rushed to the place and identified him," Qureshi added. "We rushed our son to the government hospital where the doctors asked us to lodge a report with the police first and only then he will be provided with medical assistance. My son was badly bleeding but doctors at the hospital refused to treat him. We then took him to the nursing home where he was declared brought dead. Had he been provided immediate medical assistance, my son would have been alive today," alleged Yunus. Mantora and Rakabganj are communally sensitive areas in Agra where people belonging to Hindu and Muslim communities live in different localities. The police said the railway line crossing between the two localities acts like a border and is also a place where local teens indulge in gambling, drinking alcohol, and consuming drugs. "We have yet to find out the reason behind the murder but we have been told that the deceased too had an addiction to gambling and he owed money to those living in the other locality. This could be the reason for his killing. Our investigation is ongoing,” said a police officer.
