Ravin Sisodia, who was accused of beating Mohammad Akhlaq to death on the night of September 28, last year, died at a hospital in Delhi on Tuesday. While local authorities have said that Sisodia died from illness related to either Dengue or Chikungunya, his family has alleged that he was beaten up inside the Luksar jail in Greater Noida.
Sisodia, who was in his early twenties, is survived by his wife and six-month-old daughter. He was among the 18 accused in the case of Akhlaq's lynching, which remains a cause for tensions between Hindus and Muslims in Bisada village of Dadri tehsil, some 60 kilometers from Delhi.
"My son died. He had committed no crime. I want justice," Nirmala, his mother, told The Times of India.
Following news of his death, a crowd gathered at the village temple, and the police was rushed to the spot to keep the situation under control.
The Muslim ironsmith was beaten to death by a mob alleging that he had killed a calf and his family members were eating beef. While charges against the accused are yet to be framed, Akhlaq's family has been booked for cow slaughter.
One version of the events is that Sisodia had been down with fever for several days the in jail, and he was taken to the district hospital in Noida when his condition worsened on Tuesday morning. From there he was rushed to a government hospital in Delhi where he passed away due to kidney and respiratory failure.
But some villagers believe that Sisodia, along with three other accused in the case, was beaten up in jail.
Meanwhile, mothers of 13 of the accused have been on an indefinite hunger strike in Bisada since Saturday, The Indian Express reported. "I am requesting you with folded hands, please release our innocent children and arrest Jaan Mohammad," said Lilavati, the newspaper reported.
Locals threatened to "do what we want' if Mohammad, Akhlaq's brother, was not arrested.
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