A civil contractor was hacked to death by a group of men in the early hours of Sunday, minutes after he told them off for smoking and creating a ruckus in front of his house in Ashoknagar.
Around 2 a.m., Harish, 32, was roused from his sleep by a commotion outside his house on B Street. When he went to investigate, he saw a procession passing by and four youths standing near his gate. According to the police, he reprimanded them and asked them not to smoke as it was bad for their health. They got into a heated argument but dispersed after Harish told them to leave the area. However, within minutes, the four men returned with their friends, who were armed, and started abusing Harish. The verbal abuse escalated and the gang attacked Harish with knives and choppers before fleeing.
The police pieced together the events after talking to Harish’s family members, including his brother Jagdish, who were in the house listening to the altercation outside. “By the time they came out, he had been attacked and the attackers had fled,” said a police officer.
With the help of some neighbours, the family shifted Harish to a private hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The police are yet to identify the attackers. They have checked CCTV camera footage from in and around the area.
Harish’s parents, brother, and his wife and child were in the house when he was attacked. The police are not ruling out the possibility that the murder was premeditated. “Harish and his brother were part of the neighbourhood watch committee and they used to help the local police by passing on information about anti-social activities,” said a senior police officer. “This could be one of the reasons the gang murdered him.”
A few months ago, a 24-year-old private firm employee, Madan Kumar, was stabbed to death by three men on a bike in front of his house at Kamalanagar in a case of road rage.
