A small scuffle turned deadly in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, on Thursday, resulting in the death of 24-year-old Muslim man, Tauheed. Tauheed, who was returning home to Amethi from Ambala, got into a dispute with a co-passenger from Sultanpur in Nihalgarh, Lucknow. The altercation quickly escalated into a violent attack, with Tauheed and his friends reportedly assaulted with a knife and iron rods. Police reports confirm Tauheed’s death following the attack.
Touheed found himself in the middle of escalating clashes; he immediately called his brothers, Talib and Tauseef, who rushed to Nihalgarh railway station to bring him safely. However, the attackers targeted his brothers too. Despite the presence of railway authorities, attackers continued to assault Tauheed and his brothers.
An eyewitness who preferred anonymity said, “They (Tauheed’s brothers) were brutally beaten as soon as they arrived and no one came to help or rescue them.”
Reportedly, no railway staff, or police came to rescue when Tauheed and his brothers continued to face attacks at the railway station.
Another eyewitness alleged, “The assaulters were left free to attack in front of several eyewitnesses yet nobody came to stop them as if they all were waiting for this to happen.”
While Tauheed’s body was sent for postmortem, Talib and Tauseef are currently in the Lucknow Trauma Center and are in critical condition.
Police stated that when the Begampura Express coming from Jammu to Varanasi reached Nihalgarh in Lucknow on Thursday a scuffle broke out between two passengers and it quickly escalated. One of the passengers attacked Tauheed with a knife.
The family members showed extreme disappointment at the dereliction of the railway department. Devastated at the loss of a young son who was returning home after a long time, Tauheed’s family is uncertain of justice being served by the government.
Police arrested the assaulters at Sultanpur Railway Station. Eyewitnesses and social media users expressed disappointment and said that if action was taken at the right time, Tauheed would have been alive today. several social media users who travel by trains showed deep concerns.
Rina Sharma, a social media user who travels by trains regularly said, “This kind of violence is shocking and shouldn’t be tolerated. Safety of the passengers must be a priority for the railway authorities.”
International commission for human rights NHRC has called for an enquiry concerning the handling of the case by both the police and the railway administration.
NHRC spokesperson Raghav Malhotra said, “Such incidents cannot go unpunished. The state must make sure every citizen is safe especially when travelling and public transport.
