The death of a 32-year-old Muslim cloth vendor, initially recorded as a road accident in Munger, Bihar, is now being investigated as a suspected murder after his family alleged that he was assaulted by a local Hindu friend and his associates.
The victim, Mohammad Hasrat Hussain, alias Tipu, son of the late Kamal and a resident of Dilawarpur Buxa Gali, died in the early hours of June 27 after being taken out of his home the previous night by an acquaintance, Sonu Kumar Paswan. He was the eldest of three brothers and the sole earning member of his family, leaving behind a wife, two young children, and an elderly mother.
According to the family, Tipu’s friend Sonu called him around 9 p.m. on Friday, June 26, shortly after dinner. A second call followed around 10 p.m., after which Sonu arrived at Tipu’s home on a motorcycle with three other men and took him away.
By around 12:15 a.m., the family says they were told a road accident had occurred — though, according to Sonu’s own account relayed to the family, the motorcycle never collided with anything or crashed; it merely “stumbled” over an obstacle at a road construction site. The family says Sonu gave inconsistent versions of events in the hours and days that followed.
Adding to their suspicion, the family points out that the Purabsarai police station lies barely 150 metres from the spot where the alleged accident occurred — yet no one informed or involved the police at the time, despite the severity of Tipu’s injuries.
Allegations of Evidence Tampering
The family alleges that Tipu’s body was washed before he was taken to the hospital, claiming it was done to destroy evidence of an assault. They also say they have CCTV footage that supports their version of events, although it has not been made public.
Tipu was first taken to Sadar Hospital and later shifted to Munger National Hospital. His family says they were not informed of this until around 1 a.m., when they received a call from a staff member’s personal phone at Munger National Hospital. None of the friends who had left with Tipu that night were present at the hospital except Sonu. Tipu’s mobile phone was never recovered, and the family also alleges that a gold ring and a silver bracelet he was wearing have gone missing.
“Wounds, Broken Bones, Cigarette Burns”
A post-mortem was conducted at Sadar Government Hospital. The family says they photographed and filmed Tipu’s body beforehand, describing blue bruising on both elbows and knees, a fully fractured and damaged skull, and burn marks on his back, appearing to be cigarette burns.
“There was a deep wound on the back of his head, and both his arms and legs were broken with an iron rod,” Tipu’s brother Babar told The Observer Post, describing injuries to be inconsistent with a mere road mishap.
Local social worker Mohammad Faiyaz Alam, who runs the Faiz Charitable Foundation, echoed this. “There were severe bruises on his body which were not possible due to an accident alone,” he said.
The family also notes that the motorcycle involved showed no scratches, dents, or damage of any kind — not even to its headlights or indicators — further undermining the accident theory.
Police Prematurely Closed Case As ‘Accident’
A case was initially registered at Purabsarai police station. However, within days, the Munger Deputy Superintendent of Police reportedly declared the death an accident and closed the file — a decision the family says was made despite multiple indicators pointing to murder.
It was only after Tipu’s family and members of the local community blocked a road and burned tyres in protest that police registered the family’s complaint of murder. On June 29, the family also met with the Superintendent of Police to seek justice for the deceased.
Purabsarai police station officer Saurabh Kumar earlier said the matter was being investigated. “Every aspect of the case is being investigated. CCTV footage from the scene and surrounding areas is being examined. The accused will soon be identified and arrested,” he said.
Police had briefly detained Sonu Kumar Paswan in connection with the case. According to the family, however, leaders of the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) arrived at the police station in groups soon after and secured his release. Videos allegedly showing Paswan being taken out of custody amid sloganeering were later circulated on social media, the family says.
‘We Want Justice’
Tipu’s family — including his brothers Babar and Rashid Hussain — say the dispute between Tipu and Sonu, which reportedly began only three to four days before the incident, was not taken seriously at the time. “We thought it was just a disagreement between friends, nothing serious,” a family member said, adding that the exact cause of the quarrel remains unclear. The two had reportedly been friends for only about six months.
The family maintains that Tipu was murdered over this unresolved enmity and is demanding that all those involved be identified and arrested. They say that treating the case as an accident, despite what they describe as overwhelming physical evidence to the contrary, sends a dangerous message that perpetrators of such violence can act with impunity.
“The family is inconsolable after the incident, while panic and anger grip the area,” according to local residents, who describe a community on edge in the aftermath.
As of now, the case remains registered as a murder complaint following the family’s protests, though no arrests have been reported.
