Iqbal Siddiqui, IndiaTomorrow.net,
Jaipur, June 16: About two and half months after dairy farmer Pehlu Khan was lynched by a brutal gang of self-styled Gau Rakshaks in Alwar district, one Zafar Khan, 44, was allegedly beaten to death by municipality employees in Pratapgarh district this morning (Friday).
Locals said that when early morning today some Muslim women went to answer the call of nature in open as they have no toilets in their houses, 5-6 municipality employees tried to prevent them by abusing and scaring them away. Moreover, they began to take photographs of the women. When Zafar Khan, resident of Kacchi Basti, Mahtab Shah Colony in Pratapgarh town, protested and tried to deter the employees from damaging the dignity of women, they started thrashing him. According to the locals, they beat him so fiercely that he died on the spot. He was then brought to the city hospital where he was declared dead by the doctors.
According to eyewitnesses, the commissioner of the Municipal Board was also present at the site of incident but he allegedly didn’t try to prevent the employees from thrashing Zafar. The assaulters are said to be from the Harijan community who are mainly supporters of the ruling party, BJP.
Family members, neighbours of Zafar Khan at hospital in Pratapgarh
An FIR under section 302 has been lodged by Noor Muhammad, brother of the deceased, in the Pratapgarh Police station, and four of the assailants have been detained by the police. All accused have been named in the FIR.
According to the Police, family of the deceased is being convinced for Postmortem. The family is demanding arrest of the assailants first. To maintain law and order in the city, section 144 has been imposed, the police said.
Armed Police force deployed at hospital in Pratapgarh, Rajasthan
Locals said Zafar had submitted a memorandum to the local administration, a few days ago, complaining about unavailability of the funds for construction of toilets in houses under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. He had also demanded fund to repair the public latrine, which is not in working state till now.
