“She was the last person to have spoken to Guddu, the night before the incident.He told her they were leaving for Odisha. She has gone quiet since the news was broken to us Friday. We had heard about lynchings before, but never thought it would happen to us,” said Waseem, Guddu’s brother.
Guddu, 35, was the eldest among eight siblings and was a father of four kids — the eldest six years old, youngest just six months.
There was grief and anger among locals at Lakhnoti in Gangoh, Saharanpur, too, 50 km away. People, irrespective of caste and faith, assembled at the house of Mohammad Dilshad, grandfather of Chand Miya Khan.
Chand and Saddam Qureshi (both 23-year-olds and cousins) had accompanied Guddu when the lynchings happened. Like Guddu, Chand was killed. Saddam is in critical condition at a hospital in Raipur.
Dilshad said: “What can I say? Who can understand the trauma of a 20-year-old pregnant woman who got married just five months ago and has lost her husband to this mindless killing.”
The victims’ family said all the three were labourers. They worked for Shamli-based cattle trader Monu Khan who transported animals across states. Khan refused to comment on the matter on Saturday. SP Shamli, Abhishek (who goes by his first name), said, “We are looking into the nature of the trade.”
Saddam’s uncle, Rashid Ahmad, said, “I’m in touch with my family members who are with Saddam at the moment. He has given his statement to the police. Their vehicle, he said, was intercepted by men from Bajrang Dal who attacked all three men in the truck that carried cattle and threw them over the bridge after brutally assaulting them.Chand and Guddu died. Now it all depends on Chhattisgarh police how they proceed with the case.”
The incident took place near Raipur and Mahasamund districts’ border early on Friday. Three people were found injured below a 30-foot-high bridge over the Mahanadi river, local police said, adding one was dead and two others critically injured.
