Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati condemned the killing of a Kashyap youth in Meerut’s Sardhana area.
Police said the murder occurred after an argument over loud music and was solved within 24 hours.
The accused, a 16-year-old tempo driver, has been sent to a child reform home.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati on Sunday criticised the killing of a backward youth in the Sardhana area of Meerut, reacting nearly a week after the incident came to light.
According to PTI, both leaders described the killing as brutal and shameful, and called on the government and administration to remain vigilant and proactive to prevent such crimes.
In a post on X, Mayawati said the killing of a youth from the Kashyap community, classified under the Other Backward Classes (OBC), warranted the strongest condemnation. She said anti-social and criminal elements must have fear of the law.
In his post, Akhilesh Yadav said, “We raise our voice on behalf of the entire PDA community against the heinous act committed by goons who burned a young man from the Kashyap community alive in Jwalagarh, in the Sardhana area.”
Responding to the remarks by Mayawati and Akhilesh, Meerut police said the case was not recent. PTI reported that an FIR for murder had been registered and the case was solved within 24 hours of the incident.
Police said the accused is a minor who was produced before the Juvenile Justice Board and sent to a child reform home. According to PTI, the incident took place on Monday on the Akhepur–Rardhana Road.
The victim was identified as Rohit alias Sonu (28), a resident of the Kila locality in Muzaffarnagar city. Preliminary investigation suggested the killing followed an argument over loud music being played in a tempo.
Police said the accused, a 16-year-old tempo driver, allegedly assaulted Rohit with a brick, resulting in his death. Circle Officer (Sardhana) Ashutosh Kumar said the accused first befriended Rohit, made him consume liquor while he himself drank an energy drink, and later struck him on the head with a brick.
To conceal his identity, the accused allegedly dragged the body around 15 metres to a spot near a school wall and set it on fire using clothes, dry leaves and oil, PTI reported.
The incident was discovered when a school watchman noticed a fire late on Monday night and alerted the police. The body was identified the following day.
Family members said Rohit worked as a confectioner in Mumbai and had returned to his village to look for a bride.
Police said the accused was identified through a barcode found on a liquor pouch recovered from the spot and CCTV footage from a liquor shop, leading to the swift disclosure of the case, according to PTI.
(With inputs from PTI)
