Bhopal: Nishank Rathore, a 21-year-old college student, was found dead on the railway tracks near Obaidullaganj town in Madhya Pradesh’s Raisen district, on Sunday evening, with his body severed in two.
Before his death, his father had received a message that read, “Gustakh-e-Nabi ki ek saza, sar tan sey judaa.” Uma Shankar Rathore, the father of the victim, received the message on Sunday evening. After reading the message, Uma Shankar tried to trace his son, but in vain. He was missing from his hostel. Nishant was a third-year student at Oriental College in Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh.
While speaking to India Today, IG Suri said, “We have traced his movements through CCTV cameras right from the time he left his room in Bhopal. At 5.09 pm he was spotted at a petrol pump and he was not accompanied by anyone. The post-mortem has revealed that he died because of coming before a moving train.”
According to a report published in Aaj Tak, the report linked above also quotes Nishank’s father as saying that his son was a free spirit, he could never have committed suicide and that he suspects that his son was murdered. The report also says that Nishank’s family was looking out for him since 3 pm on Sunday, as by that time they had seen suspicious posts on Nishank’s Instagram and Facebook accounts. These posts contained Nishank’s image and the text: “Gustakh-e-nabi ki ik sazaa, sar tan se juda”.
Later, around 6 pm, says the report, Nishank’s father received a WhatsApp message which read (translated): Mr Rathore, your son was very brave. Only one punishment for blasphemy against the Prophet, head severed from the body.
