Amethi A Dalit village head’s husband died from burns in Amethi after having been set on fire on Friday.
His family has claimed that he was killed over electoral rivalry and have lodged a complaint against five people – all of them belonging to the upper castes, according to Indian Express – of whom three have been arrested.
Arjun Kori (45), the husband of Bhadoiya village head Chhotka Devi, was found with serious burns on Thursday night. He died while being taken to a Lucknow hospital for treatment on Friday morning, the police said.
His son, Surendra Kumar, told reporters that Kori had gone to a market to purchase vegetables on Thursday evening, but did not return home. Later, he was found with serious burns on a property belonging to Krishna Kumar Tiwari.
Kumar said his father had a strong base in the area, which had perturbed his opponents, alleging that he had been killed over electoral rivalry.
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The victim’s son claimed that his father had taken names of four people, who stuffed a piece of cloth into his mouth and set him on fire after beating him up. SP Dinesh Singh said the incident was reported late in the night and Kori was then admitted to a hospital in Amethi. He died while he was being taken to a Lucknow hospital on Friday morning, Kumar said.
On the complaint of the family against five people, an FIR was registered. Three of the accused, including Krishna Kumar Tiwari, have been arrested while the hunt is on to nab the remaining of the accused, District Magistrate Arun Kumar and SP Dinesh Singh said in a joint press conference. Necessary financial help is being extended to the family, they said.
The SP said there are reports that a minor is also among the five named by the family and investigations have started in this connection.
(With PTI inputs)