70-yr-old ex-cop beaten to death in Allahabad as passers-by ignore attack; HC takes suo motu cognisance

A 70-year-old retired police sub-inspector was beaten to death by three men in Uttar Pradesh’s Allahabad over a land dispute on Monday. CCTV footage of the incident shows Abdul Samad Khan being beaten mercilessly as he falls off his bicycle, while he tried to shield himself from the blows. Khan was taken to the hospital after the attack, where he later succumbed to his injuries. The attack took place in broad daylight in the Shivkuti police station area of Allahabad. The footage of the gruesome attack has gone viral as several people are seen passing by while the accused — Junaid, Mohammed Yusuf, and one other — were beating Khan with sticks, but none of them stopped to help. Some people even turned back after witnessing the attack instead of pausing to help the old man. The police have filed an FIR against Junaid and at least nine others. [caption id=“attachment_5112121” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] A 70-year-old retired policeman was beaten to death in Allahabad. Screenshot of CCTV footage[/caption] NDTV reported that Mohammed Yusuf was arrested by the police on Tuesday. The Allahabad High Court took suo motu cognisance of the case on Tuesday, and questioned the Uttar Pradesh government over the arrest of all the accused. The Indian Express quoted Superintendent of Police (city) Brijesh Kumar Srivastava as saying, “According to the investigation so far, these people had some property dispute related to a house and had an argument before. The incident was on Monday morning when Khan was going on his bicycle and was attacked by Mohammad Yusuf, his brother Mohammad Sebu and relative Ibne. He was beaten badly with canes and was left on the street. He was then taken to a nearby private hospital where he died in the evening." Khan’s brother, Abdul Wahid, claimed that the accused, Junaid, is a land-grabber and was after a piece of land owned by Khan. “Many in our locality have complained to the police about him in the past but there has been no action. He continues to threaten people in the area and act with impunity,” Wahid said. According to reports, Junaid has at least 10 cases against him at the local police station. The high court has asked the police to submit a detailed report, and will hear the case on Wednesday.