25-yr-old killed for asking neighbour to turn off music

In a tragic incident, a 25-year-old youth was beaten to death for protesting against the playing of loud music in a marriage party till late night on Thursday at Bindugram near Farakka in Murshidabad.

Police said the victim, Mithun Chakraborty, was declared brought dead when taken to Jangipur Sub-divisional Hospital. Some of his family members were also beaten up and they were fighting for their lives in the hospital.

An elderly member of the victim’s family was ill since Thursday morning. The victim’s family members had requested their neighbours not to play music loudly. Turning down their requests, the accused neighbour installed several sound boxes and started playing music since the evening.

Mithun and his family members didn’t interfere in the evening thinking that the neighbours would turn it off after 10.30 pm. But, they continued playing the music late into the night. The ill elderly person in the victim’s house couldn’t sleep due to the disturbance.

The victim went to his neighbour once and requested one Shankar Mondal to turn off the music or to lower the volume. Despite giving assurance of turning the music off after another 15 minutes, the accused continued playing loudspeakers at its peak.

Again after around half an hour, Mithun went out and this time he refused to leave the place unless the music was turned off. Shankar told him that they will not turn it off as they were dancing.

The situation turned worse when the accused pushed Mithun and asked him to go back home. He also retaliated and threatened to contact the police. Shankar and some of his friends had started beating up Mithun as soon as he threatened to contact the police.

They beat him up with logs and bamboo sticks till he fell on the road. They also manhandled his family members when they came out for his rescue.

Later, the police went to the spot and took the victims to the Jangipur Sub divisional Hospital. Mithun was declared brought dead when taken to the hospital. The rest of his family members were admitted with severe injuries. The accused Shankar is absconding. Police initiated a search for him.

A senior police officer said that it had been a problem in some parts, mainly in the rural areas where loud music was played till late night during different festivals and programmes. The problem has been checked in the city and other urban parts of the state.

The state’s Pollution Control Board had been creating awareness in this regard and the police also take immediate actions.