C'garh cloth store owner beaten to death, 9 held

A cloth store owner was allegedly beaten to death by a group of 13 persons, including a teenager, over a minor issue in Chhattisgarh's Raigarh district, the police said today.

Police have nabbed nine out of the 13 accused, including a 16-year-old boy, in connection with the case.

The incident occurred last evening in Mangalbazar area of Kharsia town when one of the accused went to Arjun Rohda's (32) shop to return the shirt he had purchased for Rs 400.

However, Rohda refused to return the money and instead asked the accused, Vidyanand Rathore (26) to buy other item from his shop, which led to an argument between them, Kharsia Sub-Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Ashok Wadegaonkar said.
 

"Rathore then called up his friends who reached the spot, ransacked Rohda's shop, and brutally thrashed him," he said.

Rohda was later taken to a local hospital by people, where he was administered first aid.

He later reached Kharsia police station and lodged a complaint against 13 youths.

Police registered an FIR under sections 294 (punishing persons indulging in obscene act in any public place causing annoyance to others), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 506 (criminal intimidation), 427 (house-trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint), and 34 (common intention) of the IPC, the officer said.

"Rohda, who was a resident of Raigarh town, then went to Kharsia railway station to board a train for his native place, but as per eyewitnesses he fell unconscious there. He was shifted to the hospital where doctors declared him brought dead," Wadegaonkar said.

Police later added the charge of murder in the FIR and nabbed Vidyanand Rathore, Lokesh Banjare (18), Rajesh Rathore (24), Gopal Nishad (18), Bhola Nishad (19), Rambhagat Rathore (23), Yudhisthir Rathore (20), Rajkumar Sidar (19) and a 16-year-old boy, he said.

Prima facie Rohda succumbed to the internal injuries, the SDOP said.

"However, the exact cause of his death will be known after receipt of the postmortem report," he said, adding that efforts are on to trace four other accused.