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Three people were arrested in Uttar Pradesh's Sitapur district after a 50-year-old Muslim man and his wife were allegedly beaten to death with iron rods and sticks by their neighbours on Friday, 18 August, the police said.
The incident occurred in Sitapur's Rajeypur village.
According to Sitapur Superintendent of Police (SP) Chakresh Mishra, Abbas Ali and his wife Kamrul Nisha died on the spot after five people attacked them over their son's relationship with a neighbour's daughter, who belonged to a different faith.
The police has arrested three persons – Shailendra Jaiswal, Pallu, and Amarnath – in connection with the case.
The First Information Report (FIR) – a copy of which has been accessed by The Quint – has booked the accused under Sections 147 (punishment for rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), and 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
What happened? SP Mishra said that in 2020, Abbas' son Shaukat had eloped with the woman, who was a minor then. A case was registered in this regard, and Shaukat was sent to jail.
SP Chakresh Mishra told The Quint that in the beginning of 2023, the family of the woman got her married to someone from the village.
But the dispute between both Shaukat's and the woman's families was renewed after he was released from jail on 16 August in connection with the FIR filed against him in 2020.
"The girl eloped from her husband's house and got married to Shaukat. Another FIR was filed against him in April 2023. However, the girl was an adult by then and told the court that she wanted to live with Shaukat," Mishra said.
On Friday, SP Mishra said, a five-member gang, including the girl's father went to speak to Shaukat's parents, asking them to keep their son away from their daughter.
An argument ensued between the two families after which the accused started attacking them with iron rods and sticks. The couple died on the spot.
What Does the FIR Say?
The FIR, which was registered based on a complaint by the couple's daughter, said that the incident took place around 4.30 pm on Friday.
"The accused came to my house and started beating my mother and father with the intention of killing them. When I raised alarm, no one came to save me. They tried to kill us too, but I ran away, while the body of my parents was lying in the house," the FIR stated.
The SP reached the spot following the incident on Friday and police personnel have been deployed in the village.
So far, the police have arrested three of the main accused and are searching for two others, who are absconding. An investigation by the Hargaon Police is underway.
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