I demanded encounter: Hindu teen’s mother after Asad killed in police action

Surya Chauhan, a resident of Navneet Vihar Colony in Khoda, was stabbed during an altercation on Bakrid.

Ghaziabad: The main accused in the murder of a 17-year-old Hindu student died in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad after sustaining injuries in a police encounter early Sunday, May 31.

Reacting to the police action, the student Surya Pratap Chauhan’s mother said, “I had demanded an encounter. We asked for justice for the blood, and we have received the encounter.” Her statement came shortly after police confirmed that the accused Asad was shot dead during an encounter.

Asad, a resident of Khoda area, was wanted in connection with the stabbing of Surya, who succumbed to injuries on Friday, May 29, while undergoing treatment.

The Class 11 student, a resident of Navneet Vihar Colony in Khoda, was stabbed during an altercation on Bakrid. His family alleged that he received a call asking him to come to a meeting spot in the afternoon.

According to a Times of India report, Surya’s friend Vicky told the police that he, along with another friend, went to Asad’s locality after the phone call. Asad allegedly told Surya, “Tumne kabhi bakra halal hote dekha hai (Have you ever seen a goat being slaughtered)?”

“Aao dikhate hain (Come, we will show you),” Asad reportedly said when the 17-year-old replied in the negative. Vicky claimed that Asad and other accused individuals allegedly began abusing and attacking him when he tried to leave, leading to the attack.

Surya ran nearly 200 metres to save his life, but the assailants chased him and attacked him again with knives, the family claimed.

Motorcycle dispute escalated: Police

Earlier, police had said preliminary investigations suggested that the accused and the victim were friends and that a dispute over riding a motorcycle escalated into an argument, during which Surya was stabbed.

The victim’s family, however, alleged that Surya had been lured to a meeting spot and was attacked by multiple assailants armed with knives.

The deceased’s sister said, “He was lured there under false pretext. He was at home when he received a phone call saying, ‘Come over here; let’s celebrate Eid.’ He did not want to go, but they insisted that he come. Consequently, they took him along with them. There were a total of seven people there. All seven of them, armed with knives, jointly attacked him.”

Assistant Commissioner of Police (Indirapuram) Abhishek Srivastava said that on being alerted around 3:30 pm, police rushed the injured teenager to a hospital. He was later referred to a private hospital in Noida, where he died on Friday, around noon.

Following Surya’s death, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya had said on Saturday that the killers would not be spared and face the strictest punishment under the law. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati described the incident as “extremely tragic and worrying” and demanded strict action against those responsible.

Asad and his friends opened fire on police teams: DCP Jaiswal

Based on a complaint lodged by the victim’s family, police registered a case against five people. Three accused were arrested soon after the incident, while Asad, the main accused, remained at large.

On Sunday, Deputy Commissioner of Police (City) Dhawal Jaiswal said in a press statement that Asad was injured during an exchange of fire with a police team in the Khoda area. He was immediately taken to a hospital, where he later died.

A reward of Rs 50,000 had been announced for information leading to his arrest.

Jaiswal said they received information that Asad was going to meet some of his friends in the Khoda Police Station area and was planning to escape after taking some money from them.

“Based on this information, the entire team combed the entire area and set up checkpoints,” Jaiswal said. Upon seeing Asad and one of his friends arriving on a bike, the police teams attempted to stop and warn them.

“But instead of stopping, they open fire on the police team. In the retaliatory fire, the police fire in self-defence, in which Asad is shot,” he said. “Asad was immediately taken to the hospital for treatment. During this exchange of fire, one of our constables was also injured and has been taken to the hospital.”

Police said Asad’s bike, along with the pistol he used to fire, had been recovered. “The police are conducting a thorough investigation of the entire incident and taking further legal action,” he added.