In a horrifying incident, a 21-year-old degree student, Hariyal Venkat, belonging to the Mathura Lambada community (Backward Class) was beaten to death at a government hostel in Nizamabad’s Bodhan town on Sunday, March 3.
According to the police, Venkat was assaulted by his peers allegedly for reprimanding an intermediate student for attempting to cheat in the exams. Bodhan Police have booked eight persons – Pothugantiwar Anil, Pothugantiwar Dilip, Pandiriwar Laxman, Manyawar Krishna, Shiva, Nithin, Parameshwar and hostel warden Swamy for their involvement in the crime. Anil, the primary accused in the case, is a minor.
Police have registered a case under section 302 (punishment for murder) read with section 34 of the Indian Penal Code. The incident came to light after the deceased’s father Hariyala Jaggu lodged a complaint at the Bodhan Town police station.
In his complaint to the police, Jaggu said was assaulted by the accused at around 10.30 pm on March 3, which left him unconscious. He was later shifted to a Government Hospital for treatment but he was declared dead. According to Jaggu, his son had scolded Anil against committing malpractice in the exams through chits. Subsequently, Anil complained about this to his brother Dilip and his friends Laxman, Krishna, Nithin, Shiva and Parameshwar. The accused barged into his room and while Krishna and Anil held Venkat’s legs, Laxman strangled him, police said. Though the hostel warden was informed about the violence, he did not intervene, and instead encouraged them to assault the victim, the complaint reads.
Meanwhile, the police have also booked a case against the family members of the deceased for allegedly trespassing into the police station and assaulting a police man. “They trespassed into the police station and obstructed me and other policemen performing their duties. I was beaten by the family members,” MN Murthy, a constable at Bodhan Police station alleged in his complaint.