Man beaten to death over road passage row

Lucknow: A 22-year-old man was beaten to death and his two friends were seriously injured after a dispute over road passage turned violent at Sammanpur area in UP’s Ambedkar Nagar district Sunday.

Police said the incident involved members of two communities and sparked tension in the area. Additional police force has been deployed to maintain law and order. A murder case has been registered against one Sunil and three others. All four suspects have been detained and are being questioned, said circle officer Nitish Kumar Tiwari.

At around 8pm, Sahil Ahmad and his friends Yasheen, Jamshed and Ghulam Ashraf were returning from a nearby market on two motorcycles. Near a bend at the Panchayat Bhawan in Lakhaniya village, Sunil and his associates—who were allegedly drunk—were sitting blocking the passage.

“When Sahil asked them to move aside, an argument broke out which soon escalated into violence. The accused attacked Sahil and his companions with wooden planks and sticks,” Sahil’s family stated in the FIR.

All four were injured in the assault and rushed to the community health centre in Jalalpur. Sahil and Jamshed were referred to the district hospital where Sahil died. Jamshed and Yasheen are being treated there. Ghulam sustained minor injuries. Sahil, a truck driver, was buried on Monday amid tight security.