A 13-year-old Muslim boy was found dead in Lucknow’s Krishnanagar area on Monday evening, with his family alleging that he was taken from his home and murdered.
An FIR has been registered against four persons, including a relative of a BJP leader, police said.
The deceased, Unaiz Khan, a resident of Behsa in Sarojini Nagar, had been observing the Ramadan fast, according to his family.
They alleged that after he broke his fast in the evening, some acquaintances called him out of the house and took him away in a car.
Hours later, his body was found with a gunshot wound to the head.
His father, Zameer Khan, who runs an electrical appliance shop in the Amausi area, lodged a complaint at the Krishnanagar police station naming four individuals, including the nephew of BJP leader and former MLC Arvind Tripathi, also known as Guddu Tripathi.
Based on the complaint, police have registered a case and initiated an investigation.
In a video that surfaced on social media, the child’s father said, “It was a pre-planned murder.”
“He was fasting. Had told him not to go. But he said his friends will feel bad,” he said.
According to the complaint, around 3:30 pm on Monday, the accused allegedly arrived at Unaiz’s residence and asked him to accompany them to attend a birthday party in Barigawan, Krishnanagar.
The family claimed that the child initially refused, saying he would break his fast first. However, they alleged that he was taken along forcibly.
Police said Unaiz sustained a gunshot injury to the head while inside a car near the residence of one of the accused. He was rushed to Lokbandhu Hospital and admitted to the emergency ward, but doctors declared him dead. The accused allegedly fled the hospital premises thereafter.
The family said they were informed about the incident nearly four hours after the boy had left home.
In a video that surfaced on a social media site, Zameer Khan alleged that he received the information through a phone call made to his wife’s mobile by a relative of one of the accused.
When the family reached Lokbandhu Hospital, they found the child’s body there.
The incident led to tension at the hospital, with relatives and acquaintances gathering at the premises. Police reached the spot and sent the body for post-mortem examination.
In another video that surfaced on social media sites, the aunt of the boy said, “He had an argument with the same boy who took him to the birthday party a year ago in school. He then changed the school but remained friends with the boy.”
Meanwhile, family members of the BJP leader claimed that the children had attended a birthday gathering and alleged that the gunshot was accidental while making a social media reel.
ACP Krishnanagar Rajneesh Verma confirmed that a licensed revolver belonging to one of the accused has been seized. “A complaint has been received from the father, and a case is being registered accordingly. The matter is being investigated from all angles,” he said.
