The villagers in Bishada village on Thursday wrapped a national flag around the body of Dadri lynching accused Ravi Sisodia, who died in judicial custody on Tuesday, to accord him a status of a martyr.
Ravi aka Robin, a 22-year-old accused in the case, had fallen ill at Luskar jail and was shifted to Lok Nayak Jaiprakash Hospital where he died due to kidney and respiratory failure on Tuesday, doctors said.
He was lodged in the district jail in Gautam Buddha Nagar and rushed to LNJP Hospital from a district hospital in Noida in Uttar Pradesh after he was “suspected to be suffering from dengue”, police said.
Since his death, the area has been tense with villagers staging protests and burning the effigy of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.
Ravi's family has alleged foul play and that "he was kept in a separate cell by the jail authorities and mercilessly beaten up by some police officials inside jail on September 30, due to which his condition deteriorated".
District Magistrate NP Singh has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the death of the undertrial prisoner and heavy police force has been deployed at Bishada with additional force pressed into service at places with a substantial minority community population.
Local priest Sadhvi Har Siddhi Giri alleged that Ravi was murdered in jail and threatened that "no Samajwadi Party (SP) leader will be allowed to enter the village".
She also said the women of the village will go to the jail to inquire about the health of the other accused.
The women of the village have been staging protests since Saturday demanding the arrest of Jaan Mohammad, the brother of Mohammed Akhlaq, for alleged cow-slaughtering.
A mob had lynched 52-year-old Mohammad Akhlaq and injured his son Danish after dragging them out of their home in Bishada village on September 28, 2015, following rumours that they had slaughtered a cow and consumed beef.
The incident created outrage across the country leading to a heated debate on ‘rising intolerance’ in the country.
A total of 19 persons were accused in the case. Of these, one was given a clean chit by police and let off. Two minors were also bailed out by courts.
The remaining 16 accused were lodged in jail.
On June 9 this year, a local court in Greater Noida had ordered the police to register an FIR against Akhlaq’s family for alleged cow slaughter on a plea by a resident of Bishada village.
Police had taken samples of meat recovered from Akhlaq’s home as well as a place near his house where carcass of an animal was found.
The villagers also took out a rally from Ravi's house yesterday and tried to block traffic but were prevented by the police.
According to the SP (Rural), the situation at Bishada was "under control". He said initial reports revealed that Ravi died of an illness, adding that the exact cause would be known after the post-mortem.
The SP appealed to the villagers to stage "peaceful" protests and not to resort to violence.
