Meerut: A 30-year-old man was killed and his friend was critically injured after a dispute over the price of a toy escalated into a violent altercation at a Ramlila fair in Dataganj in Budaun district.
Police said the incident took place on Saturday night when Rohit, a resident of Behta Madho village, and his friend, Ritik, 28, allegedly objected to the price quoted by toy sellers Rais Ahmad, 65, and his son Waris, 30. An FIR has been registered against Rais and Waris, residents of Faridpur in Bareilly, under section 103 (murder) of BNS. The incident has also raised questions about security at the fair, which began on Oct 31 and has around 125 stalls. Shopkeepers said police deployment at the venue had declined from the earlier strength of 15 to 20 personnel.
SSP Ankita Verma said, “Rais has been arrested, while Waris is on the run. Rohit was stabbed to death while Ritik was taken to hospital in Bareilly, where he is undergoing treatment. The exact sequence of events leading to the stabbing was not immediately clear. Four teams are conducting raids at possible hideouts to trace him.
They demanded the arrest of the accused, an encounter and the demolition of the accused’s house. Heavy police force was deployed in the village, while the sub-divisional magistrate and circle officer spoke with the family and assured them of action, following which the last rites were performed. On Sunday, after the postmortem, Rohit’s body reached Behta Madho village, where his family initially refused to perform the last rites.