With a constant snowballing of the number of cases of assault of people belonging to the Muslim community, another barbaric case has made rounds on the internet—the murder of Tauheed Kairati Khan, Parli, Beed District, Maharashtra.
The case revolves around a missing complaint, which leads to the discovery of Khan’s dead body on a railway track—bruised, mutilated, and unrecognizable.
The sequence of the murder
On 21 May, earlier this year, the traces of Tauheed Kairati Khan, aged 35, hailing from Parli, were unreachable, leading frantic family to lodge a missing complaint with a nearby police station. What followed was an extensive search for Khan; subsequently, on 2 June, earlier this month, his body was discovered from a railway track in the Lendhewadi area.
“Tauheed had been missing since 21 May. A missing-person complaint was filed at the police station two days later, following which search efforts were launched. During the search, his body was found lying on a railway track,” Parli’s social activist Mufti Ashfaq told FoEJ Media.
“The body was discovered lying face down and bore multiple injury marks. Preliminary observations indicated signs of physical assault, while the face had reportedly been smashed with a stone,” he said talking to FoEJ Media.
“The face was reportedly mutilated to such an extent that the body could not be readily identified as Tauheed’s. His identity was eventually confirmed through his clothing,” he told FoEJ Media.
The other details of the case revealed that the incident occurred in Warwati, Maharashtra, where his body was first kept in the boot of a car, and then during the night it was transported to a railway track where it was left abandoned.
“The incident reportedly occurred in Warwati, where the victim’s body was allegedly placed in the trunk of a car. It was subsequently taken to a railway track approximately 10–15 kilometers away and abandoned there at night,” Mufti Ashfaq told FoEJ Media.
“They tried to create the impression that Tauheed had died by suicide,” police sources said.
Khan is survived by a wife and three children, one son and two daughters. The eldest one, aged 12, and the youngest one, aged 4, are struggling hard to come to terms with the incident.
“A mountain of grief has fallen upon the family,” Mufti Ashfaq told FoEJ Media.
The Protest, The F.I.R., and The arrest
Ahead of the brutal killing of Khan, the anger amongst both Hindu and Muslim neighbors swelled up, leading to a protest on the street, demanding justice and arrest of perpetrators.
“The incident triggered outrage among local residents. Hindus and Muslims alike joined other neighbours in marching to the police station, where they demanded that an FIR be registered and justice be delivered,” Mufti Ashfaq told FoEJ Media.
“Two individuals, Gaurav and Rishikesh, were arrested on the basis of the FIR,” he added.
“I have killed a Muslim; my heart is at peace…”
The obituary of Khan was followed by an audio clip, which further intensified the anger amongst the people. The audio clip is allegedly of the conversation of accused Rishikesh, where he uses abusive language and says, “Meine Musalmaan ka katal kia hai, mere dil ko sukoon mila hai” (I have killed a Muslim, my heart is at peace).
“We’ll be out in 5 months,” the clip added.
According to the police, a heated argument broke out between the three men over a financial issue during a late run. The tiff soon turned violent, and the accused hit Tauheed with a stone, leading him to suffer severe head injuries and death on the spot. A case of murder has been registered at Parli Rural Police Station and investigation is underway.
