Five people have been arrested in connection with the murder of a man in the communal clashes in Khargone, Madhya Pradesh, during Ram Navami celebrations. Eyewitnesses confirmed that the men were among those seen attacking Ibris Khan in Anand Nagar-Kapas Mandi locality on the night of April 10.
The arrested men are from Anand Nagar-Rahimpura area, sources said.
Ibris Khan, a 30-year-old municipal employee, was missing since the April 10 violence. His body was found eight days later at a morgue in Indore, around 120 km from Khargone.
According to the local police, Ibris Khan was murdered by seven-eight men on the night of the clashes. The body, found the next day, had remained unidentified and sent to the Indore morgue as there were no freezer facilities in Khargone, the police said.
The men who have been arrested are identified as Dilip, Sandeep, Ajay Karma, Ajay Solanki and Dipak Pradhan. Khargone's acting Superintendent of Police Rohit Kashwani said the accused killed Ibris Khan out of "religious frenzy". He went on to say that the five arrested men have confessed to committing the crime, however, at least 3 more men are on the run.
The family had alleged that the police tried to cover up the death.
Ibris Khan's brother Iqhlak Khan accused the police of complicity. His brother, he said, was last seen in police custody at the Khargone police station on the evening of April 10.
"The people in Anand Nagar attacked my brother with weapons and crushed his head with a stone," he alleged while speaking to reporters. The police, he said, informed the family only after he threatened to go to the media.
Sources have said that Ibris was among those who threw petrol bombs on of the accused's house after which he was chased, caught and attacked with sharp-edged weapons. This was followed by clashes between the groups.
24 people, including Superintendent of Police Siddharth Chaudhary who was shot, were injured in Khargone when two groups clashed during a Ram Navami procession on April 10.
The police announced a reward of Rs 10,000 for information on those involved in the clashes. Sixty-three First Information Reports have been registered in connection with the violence, the police have said.
With these 5 arrests, so far total 168 people have been arrested in connection with 64 cases of communal violence across Madhya Pradesh's Khargone district.
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