The Delhi Police on Saturday said that the case in connection with the killing of a 25-year-old man in the national Capital has been transferred to the crime branch, reported PTI.
The deceased, Rinku Sharma, was allegedly stabbed by five men following a quarrel at a birthday party in outer Delhi’s Mangolpuri area over rival eatery businesses, which were shut due to financial losses.
The five men had gone to the victim’s house after the birthday party and stabbed him with a knife. Sharma was taken to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries, according to the police.
On Thursday, the police arrested four of the five accused, identified as Nashruddin, Islam, Mehtab, Jahid and Tajuddin. The fifth person was taken into custody on Friday.
Following the incident, Sharma’s family have sought protection from the police. They claimed that the altercation between Sharma and the accused began over a rally he had organised last year to get funds for the Ram temple in Ayodhya. They said he was associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
Rinku Sharma’s brother Manu Sharma said that the victim was an active Bajrang Dal worker. The family also claimed that the victim was repeatedly threatened in the past few months.
Rinku Sharma’s mother claimed her son was shouting the slogan when he was killed, and alleged there were “30 to 40 people with lathi, sticks and knives”.
However, on Friday morning, the police tweeted details about the incident and specifically mentioned that any other motive alluded to it was “factually wrong”. The police’s statement came after Hindutva outfit Vishwa Hindu Parishad claimed that Sharma was killed for collecting funds as part of the donation drive for the Ram temple. During the time, at least three topics – “रिंकू शर्मा”, “Bajrang Dal” and “Ram Mandir” – were among the top 20 trends on Twitter in India, as several Hindutva activists peddled the distorted version of the story. Videos were also shared with incorrect facts.
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