Delhi news: A 17-year-old youth was allegedly stabbed to death by two juveniles following an argument over one of them harassing his sister, police said on Saturday. The teen had allegedly slapped one of the juveniles earlier for harassing his sister, they added. The police received information about the stabbing at 9.22 pm on Friday.
Manoj Kumar Negi of Kumau Gali in Baljeet Nagar was taken to Sardar Patel Hospital where he was declared dead, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Shweta Chauhan said. Both the juvenile assailants have been apprehended and the weapon of offence recovered, the police said.
A purported CCTV footage of the incident circulating on social media shows a scuffle between two youths. During the scuffle, a third person is seen arriving at the spot with something in his hand and attacking the victim. After the two assailants flee, a visibly faltering victim is seen taking out his mobile phone and ostensibly calling someone for help. He then collapses near a bike with the knife stuck on his back.
The video also shows people watching the youth lying there but no one tries to help him. Based on a statement from Negi's father, a case under sections 302 (murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered, Chauhan said. Complainant Chandan Singh Negi alleged that while he was taking his son to the hospital, he revealed that the two juveniles had passed lewd comments at his sister, Chauhan said.
Negi warned the two juveniles and even slapped one of them a few days ago.
The aggrieved juveniles stabbed Negi multiple times when he was returning from computer class as revenge, Chauhan said. The officer added that no complaint from the girl or her family members regarding molestation or sexual harassment had been received at Patel Nagar police station.
The investigation is going on and legal action will be taken if any conspiracy by any other person is found, she added.
Following the murder, Negi's family and friends staged a protest outside Patel Nagar police station. Deepak Singh Bisht, who used to live in Negi's neighbourhood, also alleged that the accused had earlier harassed the victim's sister. "Before Diwali, the accused had passed lewd remarks at her and harassed her. Negi asked them to refrain from doing this, following which an argument ensued between them and they threatened to teach him a lesson after Diwali.
"This was a pre-planned attack. They knew that Negi went to computer class every evening at 8 pm and returned around 9 pm. They attacked him while he was returning home and fled," Bisht said. Another family friend alleged that passers-by saw him bleeding but no one helped him. The incident happened hardly 15 to 20 metres away from his home, he said.
Bhagwat Rawat, Negi's neighbour, said, "When we got to know about the incident, we immediately rushed to the spot and took him to the hospital where he was declared dead. He was pursuing a technical course from Pusa Institute. "He is survived by his father, mother and a younger sister. His father works as a Xerox machine mechanic and belongs to a very humble background. They live in a rented accommodation and are natives of Almora district in Uttarakhand."
According to Delhi Police data, the national capital witnessed 277 murder cases till July 15. The number of murder cases reported in 2021 stood at 459, while 472 cases were recorded in 2020, the data showed.
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