Khattar condemns Junaid's killing; Haryana gives Rs 10 lakh to victim's family

Chandigarh, June 26 (IANS) After remaining silent over the fatal killing of a Muslim teenager on a train near the state's Ballabhgarh, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday finally condemned the incident and urged the people to maintain peace in the state.

"Police has arrested one accused involved in the Junaid killing case, and search was on to nab others. The state government has already provided financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh to the victim's family," Khattar told media here.

On Thursday night, Junaid and his friends Hasib, Shakir, and Mohsin were returning to their village on a Mathura-bound passenger train after shopping at Delhi's Sadar Bazaar.

In his police complaint, Hasib said at least 15-20 persons boarded the train at Okhla railway station and asked them to vacate seats for them.A

All four were thrashed all the way from Tughlakabad (in Delhi) to the Ballabhgarh railway station and were attacked with sharp-edged weapons and later thrown out of the train at Asaoti railway station in Palwal district.

Junaid succumbed to his injuries on Thursday night in a hospital. His three friends were injured, two of them critically, and are under treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences Trauma Centre in Delhi.

Media reports earlier said the murderous attack followed rumours about beef eating by the four youths.

One person was later arrested in this connection. Police authorities said four more accused had been identified, but have refused to disclose their identities.

Accused Ramesh, 35, was arrested from his home in Palwal late Friday night, a senior police officer told IANS.A

He was later sent to three days police custody by a local court.

"He is claiming he didn't stab Junaid, and also not telling who all were with him during the crime on Thursday night," the police officer said.

A Government Railway Police official told IANS that Section 298 of the Indian Penal Code pertaining to utterance of words etc. with deliberate intent to injure religious feelings of any person had been added to the case on Saturday.

Earlier, the GRP registered a case of murder and criminal assault.

The CPI-M said on Saturday that such crimes are a result of "toxic campaigns" of the right-wing outfits. Communist Party of India-Marxist delegation led by Brinda Karat visited Junaid's native village.

Karat told IANS: "It should not be seen as a routine crime. It is a result of the toxic campaigns of the sangh parivar." The CPI-M delegation said area villagers in Haryana had told them that such incidents of communal and abusive comments on local trains were commonplace but police had not taken any action on complaints in this regard.