Mob kills man in Rajasthan's Bhilwara over market dispute, 1 held

Jaipur, Jul 5 (PTI) Tension escalated in Rajasthan's Bhilwara district following the death of a man who was allegedly lynched by a mob after his car hit a handcart in a market, police said on Saturday.

The prime accused in the case, Shareef Mohammad, has been arrested, and another suspect has been detained, they said.

Following the incident, which occurred on Friday evening in Jahazpur town of the district, locals shut down the market, demanding justice and compensation.

The victim's family and supporters staged a sit-in protest outside the government hospital in Jahazpur overnight, demanding the immediate arrest of the accused.

Local MLA Gopichand Meena joined the protest on Saturday morning and met with the agitating relatives and locals, as hundreds gathered outside the hospital where Sitaram's body was kept.

According to police, the victim, Sitaram Keer (25), a resident of Tonk district, was travelling with three friends — Sikandar, Dilkhush, and Deepak — to attend a family function in Jahazpur. While leaving the main market on Friday evening, their car collided with Shareef's handcart, leading to a heated argument.

Police said the dispute escalated quickly as around 20 people gathered at the spot and began beating the group. Sitaram was allegedly pulled from the car and brutally assaulted, despite apologising and offering to pay for the damages.

Severely injured, Sitaram was rushed to a hospital on a motorcycle, as their car had been damaged by the mob. Doctors declared him dead on arrival, police said.

Bhilwara SP Dharmendra Singh said, "A murder case has been registered at Jahazpur police station. Police have detained one suspect and arrested the main accused, Shareef, son of Chand Mohammad, late Friday night." Police said that the case has been registered against 16 named accused and 20 unidentified others.

Deputy SP Narendra Kumar Pareek said that multiple teams are investigating the case, and teams from 10 police stations have been deployed in the town to maintain law and order.

He added that the situation is under control, as police teams are monitoring the area. PTI AG HIG HIG