By Simra Ansari
The brutal killing of 17-year-old Arish Khan, a Muslim student from Fatehpur, has ignited widespread anger and fear in the community, with chilling visuals of the attack and subsequent public celebrations by the accused’s supporters pointing to a suspected hate crime. The incident, which occurred on July 23, has not only devastated the victim’s family but also sparked serious questions about rising communal hostility and impunity.
A targeted killing?
Arish Khan, a Class 12 student at Maharshi Vidya Mandir Senior Secondary School, was ambushed by three young men — identified as Harshvardhan Pandey, Deepak Savita, and Bharat Sarkar — moments after stepping out of school. CCTV footage shows the attackers arriving on a scooter and assaulting Arish with rods and sticks until he collapsed, unconscious.
He was admitted to a local hospital in critical condition but succumbed to his injuries after 36 hours on July 26. While police have initiated a probe, many in the area are calling the attack a lynching, alleging Arish was targeted solely for his Muslim identity.
Family demands justice
Arish, the son of an electrician, is survived by his parents and two younger sisters. Speaking to Maktoob, his father said, “We don’t know why those boys killed our child. We just want justice. Our son was murdered in broad daylight.”
An FIR was lodged on July 24 based on the family’s complaint, booking the three accused under charges of abetment, assault, and intentional injury. All three were arrested on July 26 — the same day Arish died. A second complaint was later filed by Arish’s grandfather, accusing supporters of the accused of glorifying the murder and stoking communal tension online and on the streets.
Celebration of violence
In a disturbing turn, supporters of the accused held bike rallies, raised inflammatory slogans targeting Muslims, and circulated abusive posts on social media, glorifying Arish’s murder.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.