In Barabanki, Lucknow, a contractor has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the fatal assault of a labourer’s son. The incident occurred during a wage dispute when the contractor attacked the victim with an iron rod. The severity of the assault ultimately led to the victim’s death. In addition to the prison sentence, the court has imposed fines amounting to Rs 42,000 on the contractor.
The court convicted the contractor, Naumilal, under Sections 304 (Part II) (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code, along with Section 3(2)(v) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The judge awarded life imprisonment under Section 3(2)(v) of the SC/ST Act. The prosecution argued, and the court accepted, that the act fell under Section 304 Part II, holding that the accused had knowledge that his actions were likely to cause death.
Rudal informed the court that after Indal’s death, when he confronted the accused, he allegedly threatened him to deter him from approaching police. During cross-examination, Rudal acknowledged he had first gone to a police outpost and later submitted a complaint at Deva police station after his son died. Additional district judge Rakesh Kumar Singh delivered the verdict on Saturday in a case registered at Deva police station.
Govt counsel Kripa Shankar Tiwari said the victim’s father, Rudal, had been working under Naumilal on plaster-of-Paris (POP) projects and had repeatedly demanded payment of Rs 5,000 that he said was due. Rudal went to the contractor’s house in Badataal Tindola village on June 16, 2024, accompanied by his son, Indal, to seek pending wages, according to the prosecution.