Tension erupted in Azamgarh’s Naushera village on Monday after the murder of a 24-year-old Dalit youth, Durgesh Kumar, who worked as a loco pilot. He was allegedly beaten and forced to consume poison by six men over a dispute linked to his relationship with a villager’s daughter.
According to Durgesh’s younger brother Ajit Kumar, one of the accused, Gyanendra Mishra, called him on Saturday evening under the pretext of “settling matters.” When he arrived, he was surrounded by Ganesh Yadav, Ajay Yadav, Shravan Yadav, Sheru Yadav, Govind Yadav, and Mishra. A video clip that later surfaced shows Durgesh being slapped, pinned down and assaulted by several men.
Ajit said his brother was then forced to drink poison and left at a deserted spot. “He somehow managed to call me from a second mobile hidden in his pocket. He told me about the assault and named his attackers. When I reached, I rushed him to the hospital but the doctors declared him dead within minutes,” Ajit said.
The victim’s father, overcome with grief, said, “He was the only earning member of my family. They have snatched my son, my light.”
After the postmortem, Durgesh’s family and villagers blocked the Azamgarh–Gorakhpur National Highway, demanding strict action. The protest caused massive traffic jams before police from three stations and PAC personnel were deployed to clear the road.
SP (Rural) Chirag Jain confirmed that an FIR has been registered against six accused under charges of murder. “The family has alleged he was beaten and forced to drink poison. The video evidence clearly shows the accused. Raids are on to arrest them,” he said.
Additional DG, Varanasi Zone, Piyush Mordia, said the autopsy confirmed poisoning as the cause of death. “The viscera has been preserved for further examination. Heavy police deployment has been made in the village, and efforts are on to nab the culprits,” he added.
