Days after being thrashed by kanwariyas, e-rickshaw driver dies in UP’s Muzaffarnagar | Agra News

AGRA: A 25-year-old e-rickshaw driver has died days after he was allegedly thrashed by kanwariyas for “hitting” a kanwar with his vehicle. The family demanded action against the culprits on Thursday, claiming that Mohit Kumar succumbed to his injuries after the scuffle. Police, however, said the dead man’s kin had earlier stated that “Mohit died due to an illness and they had refused an autopsy or filed a complaint in the matter”.
Khatauli deputy superintendent of police Ramashis Yadav said, “Mohit was attacked by some kanwariyas in the Khatauli area on July 23 after his e-rickshaw hit a kanwar. When he tried to flee, the vehicle overturned and the kanwariyas caught and assaulted him, causing minor injuries. On being informed about the incident, police rushed to the spot and diffused the tension. No complaint was lodged by either party.” Later in the day, Muzaffarnagar police released a statement stating that “news being circulated on social media that Mohit died after the attack was baseless and completely false”. It added: “E-rickshaw driver Mohit had suffered minor injuries (then). After taking first aid from a hospital, he went home. On the night of July 28, Mohit had severe chest pain. His family took him to a hospital (again) for treatment where Mohit was declared dead by the doctor…”
Mohit’s sister Neelam claimed that her brother sustained “severe injuries” in the assault following which he was admitted to a hospital but was discharged. His condition suddenly worsened on Sunday and he died.
She demanded action against the kanwariyas involved. Asked why she did not pursue legal action earlier and got the body autopsied, she said, “We are illiterate people. We don’t know about postmortem but now we want strict action against those responsible,” she said. Mohit’s brother Wakeel Kumar said, “Two of our family lost their lives in a road accident months ago. Their postmortems were conducted but no compensation was given to us due to which we refused to get Mohit’s body autopsied.”