Nearly 19 years after a Dalit man was allegedly murdered over a ₹500 dispute in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh, a special SC/ST court has sentenced the accused to life imprisonment.
The court convicted 65-year-old Bablu Prasad for the murder of 44-year-old Tej Singh, a Dalit resident of Ishanpur village. Along with life imprisonment, the court also imposed a fine of ₹1.05 lakh on the convict.
Murder Over ₹500 Dispute
According to the prosecution, the incident took place on January 7, 2007, when Bablu Prasad allegedly took Tej Singh to Hajipur village. The two reportedly consumed alcohol together near a government tube well.
During their meeting, an argument broke out over ₹500 that Bablu Prasad allegedly owed to Tej Singh. When Singh demanded his money back, the disagreement turned violent.
The prosecution told the court that Prasad strangled Tej Singh to death during the altercation.
Victim’s Son Found Body
The next morning, Tej Singh’s son, Mahender Singh, was informed by local villagers about the incident. He later found his father’s body and filed a complaint at Quarsi police station.
Following the complaint, police launched an investigation and arrested the accused.
This story was originally published in theobserverpost.com. Read the full story here.