Violent protest in Kota after youth stabbed to death by criminal; security stepped up

Kota (Rajasthan): A youth was stabbed to death by a criminal, who was out on bail, following a quarrel over a minor issue, triggering violent protests with a mob attempting to set ablaze the house of the accused in Kanwas town here on Sunday.

A roadside shop of one of the relatives of the accused was gutted in the incident. Additional police force has been deployed in Kanwas to control the situation and prevent any communal flare-up, officials said.

The incident occurred outside a showroom. The accused, Ateek Ahmed, asked the victim, Sandeep Sharma, a local, to vacate a chair for him, but the latter refused, leading to an altercation. Ahmed left the place and returned with a knife after around 10 minutes. He attacked Sharma multiple times and fled from the scene, according to Kota (Rural) Superintendent of Police Sujit Shankar.

The youth died on the spot, the SP said.

Police teams have been dispatched to trace the accused, who already had three criminal cases against him and was out on bail, the officials said.

Angry traders downed their shutters in protest against the incident. Villagers, accompanied by members of Hindu organisations, attempted to set afire the house of the accused, the police said, adding "a roadside shop of one of the relatives of the accused was gutted in fire".

Meanwhile, the family of the deceased and local villagers refused to allow a postmortem. They demanded stringent action against the accused and the demolition of his house.

Rajasthan minister Heeralal Nagar, divisional commissioner Rajendra Shekhawat, Kota collector Ravindra Goswami and SP Sujit Shanakar reached Kanwas town and spoke to the family members of the victim and local villagers.

Later in the evening, the family, it is understood, agreed to the post-mortem after they were assured of compensation and other assistance, according to sources. However, queries to senior officers on the development remained unanswered.