Dehradun: Two more accused were arrested in connection with the alleged murder of an 18-year-old Dalit boy in Tehri Garhwal district, police said on Thursday, bringing the total number of arrests in the case to four.
Details of the Incident
Ketan Lal was allegedly held captive and assaulted by family members of a minor upper-caste girl in Lambgaon area on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday. His father alleged that nails were hammered into his son's legs. The accused were reportedly angry over Lal's friendship with the girl, who lived in a neighbouring village.
Arrests Made
Sumit Prasad, 21, a resident of Dhanyo village, and Sachin Panwar, 27, a resident of Kholgarh Walla village in Tehri Garhwal district, allegedly assisted the prime accused, Yashbir Singh Panwar, in assaulting Lal and his friend, Diwakar Dimri. Lal later succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at a local hospital on Monday morning.
Police Statement
Tehri Garhwal SSP Shweta Chaubey told TOI, "The two were arrested based on Lal's dying statement to his family and evidence collected during investigation. Panwar drove the pick-up truck used in the crime, while Prasad worked with Yashbir as a driver of an earth-moving machine. Earlier, Yashbir and his father, Vidyadutt, were arrested."
"A forensic team collected evidence from Yashbir's house, where the accused had allegedly held Lal and his friend captive before assaulting them," the SSP said.
Legal Action
The incident came to light after Ketan's father informed the police about the attack. An FIR was registered against Yashbir and unidentified others under sections 103(1) (murder) and 3(5) (common intention) of BNS, along with section 3(2)(v) of the SC/ST Act.
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