After Rahul died, his family members sat outside the Indira Puri police outpost (Representational)
Ten activists of the Bhim Army were arrested on Saturday after they tried to snatch the body of a 26-year-old Dalit youth from his relatives to “do politics” over it, the police said.
The Bhim Army activists “tried to snatch the youth's body” to further hold demonstration despite the administration having acceded earlier the demands of the youth's family members after their protest and they had proceeded to cremate the body, Ghaziabad's (SP (Rural) Iraj Raja said.
The youth, Rahul, was earlier battered with lathis and irons rods by three miscreants over two and half months back and he died on Saturday during his treatment, first at a hospital and then at his home at Sangam Vihar under the Loni Border police station area, Mr Raja said.
The police had already arrested the trio – Ankit, Poojan and Monu -- earlier after booking them on various charges, including the attempt to murder and various other offences under the stringent Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Mr Raja said.
The police will now add section 302 of the IPC for the offence of murder in the FIR lodged against the trio, who, he said, is presently under judicial custody.
After Rahul died on Saturday, his family members sat outside the Indira Puri police outpost with the body, demanding Rs 30 lakh as compensation, a government job for his wife and free education to his children, Mr Raja said.
The demonstration led the area revenue officer to visit the protest site and appease family members with the promise of statutory compensation to them, besides a recommendation to the government for payment of a compensation to them, said Mr Raja.
Satisfied with the government's promise, Rahul's family members began preparation to take the body to the cremation ground when some Bhim Army activists reached the site and tried to snatch the body from them to prolong the sit-in and “do politics” over it, said Mr Raja.
Seeing the tension in the area, the local shopkeepers downed their shutters while the police too intervened instantly and arrested 10 Bhim Army activists, who even clashed with policemen, said Mr Raja,
They were booked under various penal offences including sections 332 (assault), 353 (use of criminal force against public servant), 504 (breach of peace), 506 (intimidation), 147 (rioting), 148 (armed rioting), 188 (disobedience to duly promulgated government's order), 269 (doing activities with the potential to spread an infectious disease) and 297 (hurting religious feelings) of the IPC, said Mr Raja.
He identified the ten arrested Bhim Army activists as Bhupendra, Aashiq, Kapil, Sushant, Ankit, Amit, Rahul, Pawan, Sunil and Azad, who he said, were produced before a court and remanded in judicial custody to Dasna Jail.