Hours after restaurant worker Gulfam Ali, 27, was shot dead and his co-worker injured in Agra, a self-proclaimed ‘gau rakshak’ who identified himself as Manoj Chaudhary and said he was a member of ‘Kshatriya Gau Raksha Dal‘, took to social media on Friday to announce the murder was “retribution” for the Pahalgam attack in which 26 tourists were killed. He said “there were more deaths to be avenged”.
‘Avenger’ video may be PR stunt, no such outfit operational in Agra: Cops
A widely circulated video on social media purportedly shows a man, with two pistols tucked into his jeans and knives strapped on, claiming responsibility for the killing. In the video, Manoj Chaudhary, accompanied by another man who is similarly armed, is heard saying: “Two k#### (slur) were killed in Taj city Agra. Kshatriya Gau Raksha Dal takes responsibility for this. I pledge in the name of Bharat Mata that if we do not avenge the killing of 26 with 2,600, I am not a son of Bharat Mata.” He then raises a religious slogan.
Identity of Chaudhary’s associate is not known. Police, however, rejected the claims, “No organisation in the name of ‘Kshatriya Gau Raksha Dal’ is operational (here). The video on social media appears to be a publicity stunt. An FIR has been registered at Tajganj and a probe is on.”
Agra police commissioner Deepak Kumar told TOI: “The crime was a fallout of a quarrel over quality of food a few days ago. Investigation has revealed that the two men in the video are not Kshatriyas, and their self-declared status as gau rakshaks is also doubtful. At this stage, it appears to be more of a publicity stunt. CCTV footage from the crime scene shows the presence of four individuals. We have arrested a suspect.”
Gulfam worked as a waiter at Shahid Ali Chicken Biryani, owned by his cousin Shahid Ali, in Tajganj. Around midnight, three men came on a scooter and shot him dead. Co-worker Saif Ali, 25, dived down and suffered minor injuries after a pellet grazed his neck. An FIR has been lodged under BNS sections 103 (1) (murder) and 109 (attempt to murder).
