Muslim Imam hacked to death in UP; police book 5 people

Pratapgarh: In Uttar Pradesh, an Imam who ran a madrasa was hacked to death with an iron rod on Saturday. Identified 65-year-old Maulana Farooq was killed over some money-related dispute, it is learned. The suspect in the murder, Chandramani Tiwari, has fled the area with his family.

PTI reported that the deceased is a local functionary of the Jamiat Ulama Hind. He, who used to run the madrasa in Kadipur village, had given Tiwari some money to buy some land, but the latter sold the plot to someone else, police said.

On Saturday morning, when Farooq went to Tiwari's house in Sonpur village, he was attacked and hit with an iron rod on his head. Farooq died of a head injury, they said.

Police said the incident took place in the Jethwara police station's area. Senior officials are at the spot, they said and added that security has been tightened in the area.

However, the son of the deceased, Mohammad Asad, has filed a complaint. According to it, the police registered a case against five people, including Chandramani Tiwari. The deceased, who works as an imam in Navi Mumbai, had borrowed money from his neighbours. When he came home recently, the neighbours demanded their money back. When he asked them to give more time, they demanded the mentioned land as collateral, the complaint says.

Meanwhile, those who attacked him started measuring the land for which he had paid Tiwari. It is alleged in the complaint that he was attacked. He objected to those who were measuring the land. They attacked him with tools they used to work, the complaint alleges.