Two days after the body of 18-year-old Amir Hanzla was found in Patna, Bihar police is said to have six people for the murder of the teenager who had participated in an RJD-led anti-Citizenship Amendment Act rally in the city.
The Indian Express reported that two men — Nagesh Samrat of the Hindu Putra Sangathan and Vikas Kumar of the Hindu Samaj Sangathan — had been red-flagged and were later arrested.
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Hanzla was a worker at a bag stitching unit in Patna’s Phulwari Sharif and is a resident of the Haroon Nagar area.
The two men from the fringe Hindu outfits have been charged with Hanzla’s murder.
The Indian Express quoted Rafiqur Rahman, Phulwari Sharif police station in-charge as saying, “Our investigation shows that Amir Hanzla tried to leave the spot after police used force to disperse a violent mob. Amir was then held by some boys in the Sangat Gali area. The post-mortem report shows that bricks and other blunt objects were used to kill him. There were head injuries and marks of two cuts on the body. A lot of blood had deposited in the abdominal area suggesting internal bleeding.”
The two men have also been reportedly charged with “communal conspiracy”.
Hanzla’s brother lodged a complaint with the Phulwari Sharif police station after he went to the protest and did not return home even after 12 hours. Hanzla’s body was discovered from a pit a week later in a decomposed and mutilated state.
Police sources, on the condition of anonymity told PTI that Hanzla was likely held hostage by the perpetrators and brutally tortured before he died.
Opposition parties of Bihar have criticised the government over the incident. Congress MLA Shakeel Ahmed Khan was quoted by PTI as saying, “The incident raises a question mark over Chief Minister Nitish Kumars claim of good governance. Here is an 18-year- old boy, abducted by small-time thugs of his locality, who murder him and dump his body to a spot that is close to the office of the Deputy SP.”
The RJD, meanwhile, set up a act-finding team, which will reportedly visit Phulwari Sharif on Friday and submit a report.
(With PTI inputs)