A Dalit BJP leader and former Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) corporator’s son was allegedly stabbed to death on the premises of a government hospital in Vadodara in the wee hours of Monday, said police, adding that five people, including the prime accused have been arrested.
According to the Vadodara City Police, the victim Tapan Parmar (35) was stabbed by key accused Babar Habib Pathan (32) on the premises of Sir Sayajirao General (SSG) Hospital at 1am Monday.
According to the police, Tapan had gone to the hospital to meet his two friends, who were injured in a clash with a group led by Babar Pathan in Nagarwada on Sunday. Police said at least three people were injured in that clash and later rushed to the SSG hospital.
The first FIR in connection with the case was lodged Monday at Karelibaug police station by Dharmesh Patel, who was one of the injured in the Nagarwada clash. The complainant alleged that accused Pathan had stabbed his acquaintance Vikram Parmar in his chest, stomach and back in Nagarwada.
Patel said that Vikram, who is the brother of his friend Divyang, along with some friends were sitting when Pathan and his aides arrived at the spot to attack Vikram.
“Vikram was bleeding from the stab wounds on his chest, stomach and back. He was being chased by Pathan and his aides. When I tried to intervene, they pelted stones at me and I sustained injuries on my head…” the FIR said.
As Divyang rushed Vikram and Dharmesh to hospital, Tapan also arrived at the hospital along with his father to “help in the formalities”, said the police.
Vadodara Joint Commissioner of Police Manoj Ninama told The Indian Express that according to the probe, the brawl started over recovery of gambling money, during which Babar’s aide Wasim Mansuri was injured. “Later, Babar and his aides decided to assault (Vikram) to avenge the attack on Wasim,” said Ninama.
The Joint Commissioner added that Babar later approached the Karelibaug police station to file an FIR against the other group. He, however, said, “While the police were in the process of taking the complaint, Babar said that he was feeling dizzy and nauseated as he was injured. The police officer asked him to come to SSG for a check up. At SSG, he went to the emergency ward to see Wasim, where his wife Shabnam allegedly instigated him, as per the complainant. Then, he walked out towards the canteen where he saw Tapan and stabbed him.”
Ninama said that an Assistant Commissioner of Police has been asked to submit an inquiry report as to how Pathan obtained the knife with which he stabbed Tapan, if he had been brought to the hospital by police. Ninama said, “If there is a case of negligence (on part of the accompanying police personnel), we will see… We have asked for the report to be submitted by Monday night.”
Two FIRs lodged
Ninama said, “The first FIR was lodged at Karelibaug police station in connection with an attempt to murder at Nagarwada and the second for the murder of Tapan Parmar, who was stabbed to death by Babar Pathan, at Raopura police station. Five people, including Wasim’s wife Shabnam, have been arrested in the murder case”.
The men arrested in the case are also named in the FIR lodged at Karelibaug. Accused Wasim Mansuri, who is hospitalised, has been placed under police security and will be arrested later, said police.
Meanwhile, the victim’s father and BJP leader Ramesh Parmar said that he had left the hospital after the injured were taken in for treatment. “As I reached the home of the injured and assured the families that their sons were doing better and things had been taken care of, I received a call that my son had been attacked with a sword… When I rushed to SSG, I realised that Tapan had already been killed,” Parmar said. As soon as the news of murder came out, leaders of the BJP Vadodara city unit and the VMC rushed to the hospital.
Later in the day, Tapan’s body was handed over to his family members after the post-mortem examination, police said.
According to the police, the FIR at Karelibaug has been registered against Babar Pathan, Wasim Mansuri, Salman Pathan, Mehboob Pathan and Ejaz Mopara under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)Sections 109 [attempt to murder], 117(2) [voluntarily causing grievous hurt], 118(1) [voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means], 125 [act endangering life or personal safety of others], 189(1)(d) [unlawful assembly by means of criminal force].
The Raopura FIR is registered under BNS Sections 103 [murder], 115(1) [Voluntarily causing hurt], 189(2) [intentionally joining unlawful assembly], 191(1) [rioting], and 61(1) [criminal conspiracy]. All accused, in both FIRs, have also been booked under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
