In a case reminiscent of the brutal killing of Kanhaiya Lal, a 27-year-old Dalit man named Ankit Meena was murdered in the Gangapur district of Rajasthan. The accused, who have been arrested and charged with murder, are identified as Salman, along with two other juveniles whose identities have not been disclosed.
The Organiser obtained the First Information Report (FIR) and also spoke with Ankit’s father, Ram Babu. The following report combines information from the document and the conversation.
As per the FIR (number: 114/2024), registered at the Sadar Gangapur City police station on May 11, Ram Babu told police about the recovery of Ankit’s dead body.
On May 10, he mentioned that Ankit left home at approximately 4 pm. Later, at around 8:30 pm, Ankit called him requesting Rs 160, which he subsequently sent. When he called Ankit for further inquiry, Ankit informed him that he had misplaced his motorcycle key. Ankit then requested that he send someone with the keys to the Jaipur bypass road. After this, Ankit’s phone was switched off.
On May 11, the following morning, Ankit had not returned home. Ram Babu’s neighbour, Shivraj Meena, came to his house and informed him that Ankit had died and was taken to RGM Hospital. Upon arriving at the hospital, Ram Babu observed two phones, two knives, and an ice pick lying there. Ankit’s throat had been slit, his body had multiple stab wounds, his face was crushed with a stone, and there was blood all over the bike.
Following the complaint, a case was registered against the unidentified accused under IPC sections 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), and the police initiated their investigation.
During the investigation, the police discovered that 21-year-old Salman, along with two other minors, had murdered Ankit. Salman is the son of Abdul Rehman Teli and a resident of Chamanpura. They had consumed drinks together, which led to an argument over the motorcycle keys, ultimately resulting in the murder.
The Superintendent of Police, Sujit Shankar, disclosed that the motive behind the murder was a love affair. The accused have admitted to committing the crime. Two minors were also apprehended in connection with the incident.
Gangapur, Rajasthan: A 27-year-old youth, Ankit Meena, was stoned to death, suspectedly due to a love affair. Police swiftly detained three suspects, including the main suspect Salman, who confessed to the crime. Two minors were also arrested in connection with the incident.… pic.twitter.com/lQj4OaTIIQ
— IANS (@ians_india) May 12, 2024
Allegedly, Salman suspected Ankit of being involved in a romantic relationship with his Muslim girlfriend. Reportedly, he had warned Ankit not to communicate with her, but Ankit refused to comply with his threats.
Salman thereafter hatched a plan with his two ‘minor’ accomplices to murder the victim. He called Ankit to Jaipur road in Gangapur city and made the victim drink alcohol at a nearby empty plot.
Ankit passed out after drinking heavily. Salman and his two aides then attacked him with a knife and stoned him to death.
On May 13, the Organiser had a conversation with Ram Babu over the phone, during which he disclosed the distressing details of Ankit’s murder.
Ram Babu told this correspondent that the accused, Salman, and the two minors were not the only individuals involved; there were others present as well. One of them captured the entire incident on his mobile phone, recording a 22-minute long video that depicted the accused brutally stabbing and bludgeoning Ankit’s head with a stone.
He further mentioned that the accused had used an ice picker to stab Ankit at least 20 times in his chest and abdomen, and then slit his throat with a knife. They proceeded to crush his head with two stones found at the scene and severed his hands. He described it as a gruesome murder.
Ankit was the youngest of all his siblings and was married. He had two children, a five-year-old son and a daughter. His wife is a graduate and a homemaker. Ram Babu and his sons work in their home business of furniture making; they belong to the Meena jati, which falls under the Scheduled Caste category.
Ram Babu denied any such angle in the case and stated that his son was a simple man who had no enmity with the accused; they were not familiar with Salman and could not comprehend why he had killed Ankit.
Ram Babu emphasised that the other accused, who had recorded the heinous act on his mobile phone, should also be charged.
An emotional video of Ankit’s wife went viral on social media, showing her crying heavily for her husband.
Notably, the incident provoked outrage among the residents of Gangapur city, who closed the markets in protest. They have likened this murder to the brutal killing of Kanhaiya Lal. They demanded swift justice for Ankit Meena and the immediate disbursement of compensation amounting to Rs 50 lakhs for his family.
