70-year-old madrasa owner and general secretary of Jamiat-e-Ulema Hind Pratapgarh chapter, Maulana Mohammad Farooque, was allegedly beaten to death over a land dispute in Sonpur village in Pratapgarh. The prime accused, Chandramani Tiwari (45), and his family fled their home after the incident.
Residents expressed their outrage by staging a road blockade, and a group of people even resorted to pelting stones and damaging the door of the accused’s house.
Police had to intervene and use mild force to disperse the agitated crowd.
The protest ceased only after senior administrative and police officials arrived, assuring the crowd that strict action would be taken against the perpetrators. The body of Maulana Farooque was sent for postmortem, and the report is awaited.
Based on a complaint filed by the deceased’s son, Mohammad Asad, an FIR has been registered against five individuals, including Chandramani Tiwari, at the Jethwara police station. One woman is also named among the accused in the FIR.
Police teams have been deployed in the village, which is predominantly Muslim, and situated approximately 35 km from the district headquarters.
After the necessary procedures, the body was handed over to the family for the final rites. Maulana Mohammad Farooque, hailing from a well-off family, was highly respected in the area. On the other hand, the accused, Chandramani, is identified as a farmer.
Superintendent of Police, Pratapgarh, Satpal, said that the situation is under control and raids are underway to apprehend the accused.
Initial investigations suggest that Farooque had purchased a piece of land from Chandramani Tiwari around seven years ago but had not taken possession of it. Recently, Chandramani borrowed more money from Farooque, which might have escalated the dispute.
The victim’s family has demanded compensation of Rs 50 lakh, a government job for a family member, and the immediate arrest of the accused.
