A 27-year-old madrasa teacher was beaten to death by two hawkers outside Old Delhi railway station after he refused to buy a pair of headphones, the police said on Tuesday.
The incident was reported on Monday night when Mohammad Owais from Uttar Pradesh’s Kandhla arrived at the railway station.
When he got out, a man selling mobile accessories approached him.
Owais asked him the price of a pair of headphones after which he left without buying the accessory.
The hawker started abusing when Owais asked him to stay away.
The accused then called another hawker and they started beating him till he fell unconscious, the police said. A passer-by informed the police about the incident. A team reached the spot and rushed the injured to Aruna Asaf Ali Hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.
No communal angle
Denying any communal angle, the police said the fight broke out after an argument ensued between the two sides over the price of a pair of headphones.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Harendra Singh said the accused — Lallan and Ayub alias Sarfraj — were arrested within a few hours of the incident.
“We are getting details about their backgrounds to find out if they have been involved in any criminal case. We have registered a case under Section 304 [culpable homicide not amounting to murder] under the IPC. The body has been handed over to his family,” said Mr. Singh.
The police said they will call for a special drive against the unauthorised hawkers outside railway and bus stations.
