One of the men who were involved in the attack on Junaid Khan, the teenager killed on a train from Delhi to Mathura, admitted that he was egged on by his friends to attack the boy.
The Hindustan Times quoted the man, the only accused to have been arrested so far, as saying, "I was drunk. My friends told me to attack them because they are cow eaters."
The man has been sent to three days of police custody, reported ANI. The accused also said that he did not stab the boy.
An angry mob is said to have stabbed to death Junaid and injured his brother Shaqir. Their brother Hashim was also on the train with them.
The three were returning from Delhi to their village, Haryana's Ballabhgarh, when the incident took place.
Reports suggest a scuffle broke out on the train over seats, and soon there was a group of people abusing and slapping the boys. They also accused the boys of carrying beef.
Shaqir, who is admitted in AIIMS in New Delhi, told The Indian Express, "They flung our skull caps, pulled my brother's beard, slapped us, and taunted us about eating cow meat. Beef is not even cooked in our village. Once we reached Ballabhgarh, they took out knives. They were older than us — probably in their 30s — so we couldn't do anything."
ANI reported Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mohinder Singh as saying three teams have been formed to nab the culprits and that they hoped the attackers would soon be arrested.
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