UP migrant lynched in Mumbai

Zeenews Bureau

Mumbai, Oct 29: In a shocking incident, a group of unidentified men beat to death a 25-year-old migrant labourer from Uttar Pradesh in Mumbai on Tuesday morning. Dharam Dev, along with three other labourers from UP, was travelling to Kurla on a Mumbai local train from Khopoli to Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus when the group started beating them up after a brawl.

Following the incident, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has written to the Prime Minister, seeking the Centre’s immediate intervention and a probe into the case. She has also written a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh.

The UP and Maharashtra governments have meanwhile announced compensation of Rs 2 lakh each for the family of the deceased.

Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil too spoke to Maharashtra CM Vilasrao Deshmukh and Deputy CM RR Patil over the migrant’s death and demanded a report on the incident.

R R Patil said that his government takes full responsibility of security for migrants and added that stern action will be taken against the accused involved in yesterday’s incident.

Dev, who worked as a helper at a construction site, was occupying the window seat in the train, when a group of eight to 10 commuters, who appeared to be local villagers, forced them to vacate the seat, police said.

The local group who spoke Marathi then asked Dev and his friends if they were 'bhaiyyas' after which they started abusing them, according to police.

According to the statement given by the victim's friends, the four were slapped and kicked, thus rendering Dev unconscious.

The local group got off the train at Karjat, while Dev and his friends remained in the train. The victim's friend then called up the Railway Protection Force (RPF) control number.

Officials from the RPF then boarded the train at Badlapur and Dev was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead.

A post-mortem was conducted on Dev and the report showed he died of injuries to the liver.

Dev, who hails from Faizabad in Uttar Pradesh, had been staying in the financial capital for the last few months.

Government Railway Police Commissioner A K Sharma said that they have registered a case of murder and rioting against the accused.

According to police, a hunt has been launched for the accused and their sketches are being prepared. The police have detained 12 men in connection with the attack and are questioning them. However, no arrests have been made so far.

The attack is being seen as part of the campaign against North Indians in Maharashtra.

The shocking incident came just days after another youth from Bihar, Rahul Raj, was shot dead by the Mumbai Police on Monday after he allegedly tried to hijack a local BEST bus at Kurla, claiming he wanted to take revenge against Raj Thackeray.

The two incidents follow Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena activists’ attack against North Indian students who were appearing for a railway recruitment examination in Mumbai.