Ramesh, who was killed in Hyderabad today, was the main accused in a murder case.
Highlights
- 2 men chased the man on a street in Rajendra Nagar
- When victim stopped moving, an attacker raised his arms as if in victory
- Eyewitnesses say there were at least 3 policemen around
A man was hacked to death with an axe on a busy road in Hyderabad today, in the presence of policemen who are seen in a video doing nothing to stop the crime. Two men chase the man on a street in Rajendra Nagar and repeatedly strike him until he falls unconscious in a mobile phone video of the shocking incident. After the victim, bleeding profusely, stops moving, one of the attackers raises his arms as if after a victory and walks away.
Eyewitnesses say there were at least three policemen around, but they didn't do much.
The two policemen had gone to get their sticks, an officer said, responding to criticism of cops playing spectator as the man was being butchered.
In videos that are viral on social media, one of the policemen is seen stopping him, but he retreats soon after. What is more appalling is the fact that a Cyberabad police vehicle passes by the spot where the crowds had gathered, but it doesn't stop. At the end of one of the videos, the attacker can be seen buttoning up his yellow shirt.
"Two policemen went to get their batons. By the time they returned, it was too late. Both the accused have been arrested,'' Prakash Reddy, a police officer, told NDTV.
Talking about the police vehicle, Mr Reddy said that the patrol car didn't go away. They went ahead, parked on the side of the road and came back. "They couln't have stopped in the middle of the road as that would have led to a traffic jam. They returned to the spot and arrested the attackers," he said.
The man who was killed, Ramesh, was the main accused in a murder that took place in December last year. One Mahesh Goud was killed and his body burnt and thrown near a temple.
Ramesh was returning from the court today when Krishna Goud, Mahesh Goud's father, and Laxman Goud, his uncle, attacked him with an axe.
While Krishna Goud led the attack, Laxman managed the crowds and those who tried to stop his partner, police said.
Bikers, autorickshaws and some pedestrians paused for a moment before going about their business. While some onlookers did try to stop the attackers, most were busy recording the brutality on their cellphones. Several videos of the assault are now being widely shared on social media.
Last week, a father had attacked his daughter and son-in-law in Hyderabad in a similar fashion. He brought a machete in his bag to a meeting with the duo. The couple in their 20s got married against the consent of the woman's upper caste family. Her father then decided to avenge the "insult" and planned the attack. Both the victims survived the attack but the woman suffered deep injuries.