While the nation is still grappling with the shock of the gruesome murder of two Hindu children in Uttar Pradesh’s Badaun district, the villagers of the slain accused Sajid have said that they are not sure if Sajid or someone else killed Ayush and Ahaan. Others said that Sajid had changed their residence twice.
OpIndia’s ground report team is on a mission to uncover the truth of the horrific murder of two Hindu children in Badaun. In pursuit of facts, OpIndia arrived in the village of Sajid, who slaughtered children in Badaun. Sakhanu village is located approximately 13 kilometres from Badaun.
OpIndia talked to a local Dulichand in Sakhanu who said that Sajid’s family is not native to this village. He stated that Sajid’s family had changed their home twice previously. Sajid’s family used to reside in Kakrala and Uprala villages in Badaun.
Dulichand told OpIndia that Sajid’s grandfather’s name was Ghani, and he used to dispense medicines. Dulichand stated that he had not witnessed any hooliganism at the local level. During this, Dulichand lauded the current Yogi government. He pointed out that the administration under CM Yogi-led government is good.
Dulichand stated that more than half of the village’s population is Muslim, with the remaining Hindus. He stated that when the lockdown was implemented during the Covid-19 epidemic, many persons from the outside were hiding there. He stated that before 2017, bullies used to push people into forced labour.
When speaking with a Muslim man from Sakhanu, he expressed ambiguity questioning whether Sajid had murdered the Hindu children or someone else had done it. He stated that only Allah can determine whether Sajid killed the children or someone else did.
According to locals, Sajid’s family runs 11 shops in Badaun, which generally remain open until 8-9 p.m. But on the day of the crime, all shops were shut early and no shops were open at the time of the incident. The entire family had fled. Locals claimed that there was a great conspiracy behind this murder, which everyone in the family was aware of.
These locals, who visited Sajid and Javed’s barber shops for haircuts etc, stated that both of them seemed normal generally and had tied Kalava (sacred thread worn by Hindus). They added that the majority of their family members have kept names that do not explicitly reflect their religion.
Notably, on the evening of 19th March, Sajid, who ran a barbershop in Badaun, murdered two Hindu children, Ayush and Ahaan, with a knife (ustra). Sajid had fled after committing the murder. As reported earlier, Sajid was gunned down in an encounter with Uttar Pradesh police on the same day. Sajid’s brother Javed, who was there during the incident, escaped. Police teams were conducting raids in search of him. Police also announced a reward of Rs 25,000 on Javed. On the 21st of March, the police arrested him.