Two youngsters, alleged to be the main accused in the lynching of a man over suspected beef consumption in Bishada in Dadri were arrested today as uneasy calm continued to prevail in the village where the situation was claimed to be under control.
The 18-year-olds were arrested from their hideout in a locality close to Bishada, the scene of Monday night killing of 50-year-old Mohammed Iqlakh, taking the total number of arrests to eight, police said.
Iqlakh was dragged out of his home and stoned to death on a village street after a public announcement from the local temple that the family had slaughtered a calf and eaten its meat. While Iqlakh died, his 22-year-old son Danish is battling for life at a hospital following two brain surgeries.
Meanwhile, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today visited the bereaved family, with the latter deprecating attempts at communalising the tragedy.
After being initially stopped by the local administration from visiting the village in Dadri in Uttar Pradesh on Delhi's outskirts, Kejriwal met the grieving family and lashed out at political parties "spreading poison" between Hindus and Muslims for votebank politics.
Bishada's uneasy tryst with unprecedented media glare and steady stream of politicians erupted in anger as locals forced the administration to prevent Kejriwal and some state Congress leaders from entering the village. They were, however, later allowed inside.
The authorities said they have sealed the village following a request from the victim's son for "peace" in their hour of grief.
District Magistrate N P Singh had yesterday said the victim's son Sartaj had given a written request that the family does not want to meet anyone as a steady stream of visitors was causing harassment to them.
"One political party is trying to consolidate Hindu vote bank, while another is trying to make Muslim their vote bank by spreading poison between the two communities. It is wrong," Kejriwal later said.
"If somebody thinks Hindu religion is in danger and that is why Muslims are being targeted, then he cannot be a Hindu," he said.
