Communal tension in Dadri, accused hailed as martyr, family 'won't' cremate body

Sisodia's relatives demand arrest of Akhlaq’s brother Jaan Mohammad on charges of cow slaughter and Rs 1 crore compensation for his death.

Lucknow: The family members of Ravin Sisodia, one of the key accused in the Dadri lynching case, have refused to cremate his body, two days after he died at a hospital in Delhi where he was brought for treatment from a Noida jail.

His relatives are demanding the arrest of Akhlaq’s brother Jaan Mohammad on charges of cow slaughter and Rs 1 crore compensation for Sisodia's death.

Mohammad Akhlaq was lynched last year for allegedly consuming beef.

Hundreds of people on Thursday gathered in Bisara where Sisodia's coffin draped with the Tricolour has been kept.

The 21-year-old, who is one of the accused in Akhlaq’s killing, had died at the LNJP Hospital in Delhi on Tuesday.

His family members have refused to cremate the body unless the UP government pays them Rs 1 crore as compensation.

They have also demanded a CBI probe against the officers at a Greater Noida jail where he had been lodged, the Indian Express reported.

Meanwhile, the district police have turned the village into a fortress amid fears of fresh communal clash.

VHP leader Sadhvi Prachi visited Bisara on Thursday to express her solidarity with Sisodia’s family.

The district administration has already deployed two companies of Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) besides jawans from Gautam Budh Nagar, Bulandshahr and Ghaziabad areas.

On Thursday, talks between the administration and a 11-member committee of Bisara residents ended without any decision on their demands.

According to the report, the Bisara residents are now planning to invite people from nearby on villages to exert more pressure on the local administration.

“They have said that the body will not be cremated if Mohammad is not arrested. They also did not agree to accept the Rs 10 lakh that was being offered by the state government as compensation and demanded Rs 1 crore.

“We are trying to reach out to Ravin’s family. For now, they have refused to cremate him,” the report quoted a senior police officer as saying.

“If our demands are not met, the cremation will not take place. The administration has given us some assurances but we are not satisfied.

“Our main aim is Mohammad’s arrest and unless that happens, we will not cremate the body,” the report quoted a local resident as saying.