On January 25, the district administration in Kawardha town, Chhattisgarh, took action against the illegal residence of Ayaz Khan, the prime accused in the murder of elderly Gau Sevak Sadhram Yadav (50). Yadav was brutally killed by having his throat slit on the streets of Lalpur Kala village in Kawardha town of Kabirdham district of Chhattisgarh on the intervening night of January 20–21. The Deputy Chief Minister, a native of the same town, visited the grieving family and provided financial assistance. Before the Deputy CM’s visit, all individuals involved in the heinous murder were apprehended by the police.
Organiser reported on January 23, five individuals, including a minor, attacked and slit Sadhram Yadav’s throat during a minor altercation in Lalpur Kala village, Kawardha. The assailants fled the scene, and the incident was only discovered the next morning when residents found Yadav’s body.
Yadav, a respected elder in the village, worked as a herdsman at Gothan (cowshed). Locals asserted that he had no enmity with the accused or anyone in the village. They also demanded stringent punishment for the accused.
The identified perpetrators in the murder are Sufiyaan, Idris, Ayaz, and Mahtab, all residents of Kawardha, along with a detained minor. It was reported that the assailants used a sharp-edged weapon in the crime.
Organiser contacted Investigating Officer Moti Patel on January 25 and learned that an FIR (number 52/2024) was filed at the Kawardha Kotwali police station following the murder.
The accused were identified and arrested based on the complaint, CCTV footage, and evidence from the crime scene. Patel explained that the motive, according to the accused, was a confrontation that escalated into a scuffle and resulted in Yadav’s murder during their nighttime gathering in the village.
The accused face charges under IPC sections 302 (murder), 201 (destroying evidence), and 34 (acts done by several people with common intention). While the Chhattisgarh Police did not upload the FIR due to its sensitive nature, Organiser will update the report as soon as the copy becomes available.
In the aftermath of the tragic incident, State Deputy CM Vijay Sharma visited the village and met with the victim’s family. Sharma, addressing the media, stated that the motive behind the murder is currently unknown and under investigation. Despite the uncertainty, he personally knew Sadhram as a generous individual and a committed Gausevak.
Sharma extended financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the deceased’s family. Expressing his dismay, he mentioned that when villagers visited the accused in jail, they found them laughing, highlighting the incomprehensible mindset behind the heinous act.
Chhattisgarh: On Jan 21, Sadhram Yadav was found dead with his throat slit in Kawardha district.
Investigation revealed Sufiyan, Idris & 4 others killed him. Reason behind brutal murder is not known.
Dy CM said, accused were laughing when victim family reached police station: pic.twitter.com/nMhtY3azTM
— Subhi Vishwakarma (@subhi_karma) January 25, 2024
“It is very unfortunate that when the villagers went to jail to see the accused, they were laughing at them. The mindset behind this heinous act is unimaginable,” he added.
Responding to concerns about the attack on a Hindu man before Pran Pratishtha, Sharma, who was in town to oversee events planned for January 22, acknowledged the gravity of the situation and pledged to thoroughly investigate the matter.
“I had come to the town to look after the progress in the events planned for January 22 but met with this unfortunate incident. It is indeed concerning and we will surely get to the root of this,” he added.
Superintendent of Police Abhishek Pallav revealed that the primary accused, Ayaz Khan, had a criminal history with nine registered cases, including charges of robbery, rioting, and flag incidents. On January 25, the administration took bulldozer action against Khan’s illegal encroachment.
SP Pallav emphasised that individuals involved in serious crimes would face similar actions on their illegal constructions. Information regarding illegal constructions by other accused in the murder case is also being gathered for subsequent bulldozer actions.
The state of law and order in the state region was a focal point of discussion leading up to the recently concluded State Assembly election. The Narendra Modi-led party promised to address this concern by pledging to enhance the on-ground situation through rigorous punitive measures against criminals if elected to power.
In a prior indication of a change in the state government’s approach to handling syndicate crimes and criminals, Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao emphasised that immediate action, including bulldozer exercises, would be initiated against criminals, urging them to vacate Chhattisgarh.
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