For many, tensions in the area are reminiscent of the May 2014 rape and murder of two teenage girls in Katra village. (Representative image)
A local barber, identified as 22-year-old Sajid, hacked two boys to death and critically injured a third in an axe attack in Baba Colony of UP’s Budaun district and was gunned down in an encounter hours later. Amid communal tensions in the area, everyone has one question — what was his motive?
For the locals, the three hours between 7pm and 10pm on Tuesday were the “darkest hours” in the history of Budaun, an Uttar Pradesh district located 270km from state capital Lucknow. The district was rocked by a gruesome double murder of two children and an encounter on Tuesday night and has since been vulnerable to communal tensions.
A local barber, identified as 22-year-old Sajid, hacked two boys to death and critically injured a third in an axe attack in Baba Colony and was gunned down in an encounter hours later. The incident took place a few steps away from Mandi Police Post of Civil Lines Police Station.
For many, tensions in the area are reminiscent of the May 2014 rape and murder of two teenage girls in Katra village.
The Double Murder
It was a regular Tuesday for residents of Baba Colony, located 200 meters from the Mandi Police Chowki. Amid the evening hustle and bustle, Sajid, who recently opened a barbershop in the colony, entered a house opposite his establishment. The house belonged to Vinod Singh, a contractor by profession.
According to the police, Sajid entered the house along with his brother Javed and first enquired about Vinod, whom they knew well. When told that Vinod was not at home, the duo asked Vinod’s wife Sangeeta for some tea. When Sangeeta stepped inside to prepare the tea, Sajid and Javed allegedly attacked her sons Ayush (13) and Aahaan (7). The middle child, 10-year-old Piyush managed to escape.
“The accused, Sajid, entered the house at around 7:30pm on Tuesday. He went to the terrace where the children were playing. He attacked two children while the third escaped. The crowd tried to get hold of him, but the accused escaped,” said Alok Priyadarshi, senior superintendent of police (SSP), Badaun.
The Aftermath
Seeing her sons lying in a pool of blood, Sangeeta screamed following which neighbours and other residents gathered at the spot, and tried to catch hold of Sajid and Javed, but the duo fled the scene.
Police rushed to the spot and tried to pacify the angry locals, but the situation soon went out of control as the mob broke open the lock of Sajid’s shop and set it on fire.
According to reports, some protestors also tried to vandalise a religious structure, but were stopped by the police. The crowd then surrounded the local police outpost and raised slogans against the local administration and police.
The Encounter
With communal tensions in the area on the rise, police intensified patrolling to catch the accused in the neighbouring areas. Sajid was eventually traced to the forest area in Shekhpur.
“While following Sajid and on the basis of a tip-off, we reached Shekhpura jungle. While carrying out the search operations, Sajid opened fire at the police team. In the exchange of fire, inspector Gaurav Bishnoi was injured and rushed to the hospital. However, later in the crossfire, accused Sajid was killed,” said Rakesh Singh, Inspector General of Police.
Motive Unknown
The motive for the murders remains unknown. “I don’t know why he attacked my innocent children. I was in Lakhimpur Kheri on Tuesday evening when I received a call from my wife Sangeeta saying Sajid had come and was asking for Rs 5,000 since his wife was pregnant. I told her to give him the money. I don’t know what happened next and why Sajid killed my innocent children,” said Vinod Singh.