Following the murder of local BJP OBC Morcha leader, Vinod Kashyap, at the hands of a Muslim mob in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun, communal tensions erupted. The incident took place in the Bairagiwala village in Dehradun district over an irrigation dispute on Saturday, June 13. Kashyap was also a Bajrang Dal leader of the area.
While Kashyap lost his life over a minor water dispute in the fields, three others were seriously injured. It was when the victim and his family members went to irrigate their fields using a tubewell, that a group of Muslims, led by ‘Imtiyaz’, reached the spot and attacked the Kashyap family with sticks, hammers, rods, and sharp weapons. While three of Vinod’s relatives were critically injured and hospitalized, the BJP leader succumbed to sever head injuries from a hammer blow, during treatment.
The CCTV footage of the brutal attack is doing the rounds on social media, and it has also been reported that prior to this particular dispute, there had also taken place a disagreement between the two parties involving some 14,000 INR.
Police have registered a murder case against 12 named accused and 25-30 other individuals who are unidentified. Along with Imtiyaz, another accused has been identified as Aman. Four individuals have been arrested till now.
Tensions became rampant in the region as agitated members of local Hindu organisations including the Bajrang Dal, gathered in large numbers, protested against the crime, leading to arson and stone pelting. The houses of the accused in the case were set on fire, and the fire brigade had to intervene.
The situation deteriorated further with stone pelting and clashes with police personnel. In order to restore law and order in the village, authorities deployed heavy police contingents. Internet services in the region were suspended to restore peace, while the National Highway was jammed by the protestors who demanded immediate arrest of Vinod’s culprits.
While the police are doing their job, bulldozer action was initiated on the main accused, Imtiyaz’s properties, under heavy police deployment and in presence of the local administration.
The police have assured swift action in the matter and have stated that teams have been formed to nab the remaining accused. But reportedly, Vinod’s family has refused to perform the deceased’s last rites until all accused get arrested.
