Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh — In a tragic incident that has once again raised serious concerns over communal violence in Uttar Pradesh, a 17-year-old Muslim student, Mohammad Arish, was brutally attacked and killed by three youths in Fatehpur on July 23.
The incident took place near Kashiram Colony when Arish, a Class 12 student, was returning home from school. According to eyewitnesses and family members, the assailants — identified as Harshwardhan Pandey, Deepak Savita, and Bharat Sarkar — ambushed Arish and beat him severely with iron rods and wooden sticks. One of the attackers, Pandey, is reportedly linked with right-wing extremist groups.
Arish’s grandfather, Ruab Ahmed, alleged, “They were waiting for him. As soon as he arrived, they began hitting him mercilessly until he collapsed.” Locals rushed to his aid and called an ambulance, but by then, Arish had already lost a significant amount of blood.
He was first taken to Sadar Hospital in Fatehpur and later shifted to a hospital in Kanpur due to the severity of his injuries. Despite medical efforts, Arish succumbed to his injuries on July 24.
The victim’s family claimed that Arish had been facing threats for nearly a year from Harshwardhan, indicating that an earlier personal dispute may have escalated into this fatal attack.
An FIR has been filed at the Kotwali Police Station. While two of the accused have been arrested, the third — reportedly Harshwardhan — remains absconding. Police say that raids are being conducted to apprehend him and that further investigation is ongoing.
The bereaved family has called for immediate and stringent legal action against all the culprits, urging authorities not to let this become yet another forgotten statistic in a series of targeted hate crimes.
This shocking incident has sparked outrage on social media, with many demanding justice for Arish and accountability from state authorities.
