Days after the Pune migrant worker murder, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday alleged hate crime behind the 24-year-old man`s killing, however, the Pune police have refuted the allegation and stated that the death of the deceased was a result of a drunken argument, reported the PTI.
According to the PTI, Pune rural police clarified that the victim was allegedly killed after an argument with two individuals while intoxicated, reported the PTI.
The officials claimed that there was no other angle to the case.
The deceased identified as Sukhen Mahto was found dead late on February 9 in Koregaon, under the jurisdiction of Shikrapur police station. A probe was launched thereafter.
“As per preliminary information, Mahto, worked in a local industry. Before the incident, he left his house to go to work at 3 pm. But instead of going to work, he started roaming in Koregaon in a drunken state,” said Inspector Dipratan Gaikwad of Shikrapur police station, reported PTI.
It is understood that, in his drunken state, he got into a spat with two persons, he said.
CCTV shows victim arguing with two men before incident, say police
“Our primary probe suggests that following the spat, he was allegedly murdered by the two persons. We have CCTV footage in which the deceased is seen in an unstable condition and arguing with two persons. The actual assault was not captured on CCTV. However, he was allegedly found murdered using a sharp weapon nearby,” Gaikwad said, reported PTI.
The probe suggests that the murder is a fallout of a dispute that took place in a drunken state, and there is no other angle to it, the official added.
“We have registered an offence and a search for the assailants is on,” he said.
CM Mamata Banerjee calls incident a hate crime
West Bengal CM Banerjee termed it a “hate crime” and demanded the immediate arrest of the perpetrators.
In a post on X, she said, “I am shaken, enraged, and sickened beyond words by the barbaric murder of Sukhen Mahato, a 24-year-old migrant worker from Bandwan in Purulia, the sole earning member of his family, in Pune, Maharashtra.”
“This is nothing short of a hate crime. A young man was hunted, tortured, and murdered for his language, his identity, his roots,” she added, reported PTI.
“This is the direct consequence of a climate where xenophobia is weaponised and innocents are turned into targets,” the CM said.
She demanded the immediate arrest of the accused and exemplary punishment for them.
“To Sukhen`s family, I say that West Bengal stands with you in this hour of unimaginable grief. No effort will be spared to secure justice,” she added.
(With PTI inputs)