LUCKNOW: A 28-year-old Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha member from Ayodhya died after allegedly being assaulted with bricks and stones by a group of youths in Lucknow’s Gomtinagar area following a dispute over cigarettes, police said on Thursday. The deceased, identified as Shivam Singh, was a district committee member of the BJP Yuva Morcha from Dhaurahra in Ayodhya district.According to the police probe, the incident happened on Tuesday night near Jalwa Club under the jurisdiction of the Vibhutikhand police station.Shivam had come to Lucknow along with his friends, Nilesh and Zeeshan, for a late-night party when the altercation occurred.Police said the dispute initially began outside a roadside kiosk near the club where Shivam was purchasing cigarettes after the party. Three youths riding a motorcycle allegedly approached him and asked for cigarettes. Shivam reportedly gave them one cigarette, but when the youths demanded more, an argument broke out.Vibhutikhand inspector Amar Singh said that after the verbal altercation, both groups dispersed from the spot. Shivam later called an acquaintance, Ashish Shukla, and informed him about the dispute. Ashish allegedly advised him to avoid further confrontation and return home.However, police said the accused youths allegedly returned a short while later near Kathauta Lake, where Shivam and his friends had stopped. According to the preliminary investigation, the assailants began pelting bricks and stones at the group.During the chaos, Shivam’s friends allegedly attempted to flee. Police said Nilesh and Shivam tried to enter their vehicle when one of the bricks struck Shivam on the head, causing him to collapse unconscious on the road. Nilesh reportedly drove away from the spot.Shivam allegedly remained lying injured near Kathauta Lake for nearly half an hour before a passerby spotted him around 4 am and alerted police and emergency services through Dial 112.Police rushed Shivam to Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences for treatment. However, according to the family, he could not be admitted immediately due to non-availability of beds, following which he was shifted to a private hospital, KNS Hospital in Gomtinagar.Despite treatment, Shivam succumbed to his injuries around midnight on Wednesday. Family members said he had sustained severe injuries to his head and jaw.Police have registered an FIR under charges of murder against unidentified on the complaint of Shivam’s younger brother, Saurabh Singh.DCP, East Zone, Deeksha Sharma, said police is now examining CCTV footage from around Jalwa Club and nearby routes to identify the attackers. “We already identified suspects and efforts are underway to trace the remaining accused,” said Sharma. Saurabh Singh alleged that an unidentified person had informed the family about the incident over the phone. He also questioned the role of Shivam’s companions, claiming they neither informed the family promptly nor extended timely assistance to the injured BJYM member. “I feel there is a larger conspiracy behind the incident. Those who were with him, including the driver, did not help him when he was critically injured,” Saurabh alleged.Another relative, Ayush Singh, said the family was initially informed only that Shivam had been involved in a fight in Lucknow. “When we reached the hospital, we found him admitted in the ICU. Doctors immediately asked for three units of blood,” he said.Ayush further claimed that the family later learnt through Ashish Shukla that Shivam was travelling with Nilesh Maurya and two other persons along with a driver on the night of the incident.Ashish Shukla told police that Shivam had called him during the incident and said that some people were throwing stones at their vehicle. “I told him to wait for 15 minutes as we were coming there, but by the time we reached the location, no one was there,” Ashish reportedly said.Police later questioned Nilesh regarding the sequence of events. According to investigators, Nilesh admitted there had been an argument over cigarettes and claimed that after escaping the stone-pelting, Shivam suggested stopping near Kathauta Lake to rest. He reportedly claimed he did not know what happened afterward.Police teams have also revisited the crime scene with Nilesh and are reconstructing the sequence of events based on CCTV footage and witness statements.Meanwhile, Shivam’s family expressed dissatisfaction with the police investigation. Relative Abhishek Pratap Singh accused the Lucknow Police of merely carrying out procedural formalities without taking effective action against the accused.“The police are only following protocol such as conducting the post-mortem and completing formalities. We are not satisfied with the investigation so far,” he alleged.
