10 days after ‘assault’ for transporting cattle, third victim dies; no arrests yet

Qureshi and his cousin Chand Miya Khan (23), both from Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur district, and Guddu Khan (35) from Shamli district, were transporting cattle when they were allegedly chased by a mob in Raipur on June 7. Later that day, the three were found lying on rocks below a bridge – Qureshi severely injured and the other two dead.

Initially, police had suggested that the three men had fallen or jumped off the bridge. However, their family members alleged that they were lynched.

Chhattisgarh Police registered a case of attempted murder and culpable homicide in the case after Qureshi’s relative Shoaib said he had received a frantic call from him while the three were being assaulted.

“Qureshi was a helper. He called and kept the phone in his pocket. He was screaming that his hand and leg were broken. He was pleading, ‘bhaiya paani pila do ek ghoot. Maro mat bas paani pila do (give me a sip of water, please don’t beat me)’,” Shoaib had said. “We could also hear some men ask him, ‘kahan se laaye ho… chodenge nahi (where did you bring it from… we will not spare you)’.”

Additional SP Raipur (Rural) Kirtan Rathore said a post-mortem report would make it clear whether Qureshi’s injuries were caused by assault or if they were accidental.

Rathore confirmed that no arrest had been made in the case so far and that no new sections were added to the FIR. “We have identified a few vehicles that were chasing the victims that night. The CCTV camera footage is not very clear, but efforts are on to find the culprits. We have recorded statements of around 20 people. Further investigation is underway,” he said Tuesday.

According to doctors at Raipur’s Shri Balaji Super Speciality Hospital, the 23-year-old had been in a coma until his death. Qureshi was brought to the hospital at 7 am on June 7, unconscious and unable to speak.

Dr Deepak Jaiswal, medical superintendent of the hospital, told The Indian Express: “He had a major head injury on the right-side of his brain due to which his head had swollen and blood circulation had decreased. We performed decompressive craniectomy surgery on his head and another gastro-related surgery. He has also suffered multiple fractures on his ribs, shoulder, pelvis, left hand and spine.”

Qureshi’s family had on Monday moved him from the private Balaji hospital to the government-run DKS super speciality hospital, where he died Tuesday.

Qureshi was unmarried and is survived by his parents and six siblings. His younger sibling, 22-year-old Asif, said: “We want justice. The police must arrest the culprits. He (Qureshi) was an earning member of the family. We have not yet informed our parents as both of them are ill, and my mother’s health can deteriorate.”

His cousin, Shoaib, said: “The police are doing nothing. We want justice and compensation.”

On Sunday, around 50 people carried out a protest march to Raj Bhavan, demanding justice in the case.