Jaipur: A 55-year-old Zafar Khan was allegedly beaten to death in Rajasthan's Pratapgarh by municipal officials after he tried to stop them from taking photographs of women defecating in the open. The man in his sxities was allegedly kicked, punched and beaten with a stick. He died later at a hospital. The autopsy report says he died of heart failure.
The incident happened near Bagwasa Kachi Basti area on Friday around 6.30 am when a few women had gone to relieve themselves.
A case of murder has been registered against the accused, but no arrests have been made so far.
According to reports, few officials from Pratapgarh municipal corporation, who were in the area to create awareness about Swacchta Abhiyan, saw the women defecating in the open and tried to take photo of them from their mobile phones.
Zafar Khan, objected at officers taking photos of women defecating in open. The argument caught heat and the five officials from municipal corporation started beating Zafar Khan.
"Zafar Khan asked the officials not to click photographs. But they started assaulting him with lathis, and punched and kicked him. He fell and died on the spot. All the people present at the spot, including the women, can identify the men who killed my brother,” his brother Noor Mohammed said in his complaint lodged with the police..
In his complaint, he has named four officials including Nagar Parishad commissioner Ashok Jain, Pratapgarh Kotwali police said.
The other three named in the FIR are Kamal Harijan, Ritesh, Manish and others.
The police have deployed personnel to maintain law and order in the area.
"A case has been registered against the four accused named in the FIR. Additional police force has been deployed in the area to maintain law and order", Pratapgarh Superintendent of Police, Shivraj Meena said.
A few months ago Pehlu Khan - a Muslim farmer from Haryana, was lynched by cow vigilantes.