LUCKNOW: What should have been a night of joy, festivity, and family celebration turned into a tragedy in Amethi, where a quarrel over a few tandoori rotis at a wedding feast spiralled into the lynching of two young cousins. The victims, Ashish (17) and Ravi alias Kallu (18), were bludgeoned to death by a group of men—many of them guests—over what started as a minor scuffle at the food stall.
The incident took place in the early hours of Sunday in Sarai Hriday Shah village under Gauriganj police station limits, just eight kilometres from the district headquarters. On Sunday, police registered an FIR and detained five accused for the murder of the two cousins. Police said that around 11:45 pm, Ashish and Ravi were waiting at the tandoor counter, hoping to grab a few rotis. Here, they got into a verbal spat with Rohit, the groom’s cousin, and his friends—Deepak, Sandeep, Shiva, Malik, and several others (unidentified). What began as a dispute over whose turn it was quickly escalated into threats. Witnesses later recalled overhearing heated words and a growing tension that outpaced the festive music in the background. The accused allegedly felt disrespected and humiliated, the police said based on the account of the eyewitnesses.
Police further said that Ashish and Ravi left the venue with friends Suraj and Satyam on motorbikes. But the same group of men—now armed with iron rods, hockey sticks, and lathis—began following them. Around 1 am, the attackers intercepted the boys near Pathak Ka Purwa. Suraj and Satyam managed to flee on foot, but Ashish and Ravi were not as lucky.
The assailants smashed their bikes, rained blows with weapons and fists, and left them bleeding and unconscious. Passers-by spotted them and informed the police. The two were rushed first to Amethi district hospital, then referred to AIIMS Rae Bareli, and later to King George’s Medical University in Lucknow due to the severity of their injuries. Ashish died on the way. Ravi succumbed soon after arrival, said Amethi additional SP Harendra Kumar.
Shiv Bahadur, father of Ashish and a private-sector worker in Delhi, said, “My son went to attend a wedding. He never came back. The victims were both students, full of life and promise. And all of this because of a few rotis?” Another relative said, “How fragile have our tempers become?”
Based on Shiv Bahadur’s complaint, an FIR was filed at Gauriganj police station against 13 individuals, including eight named and five unidentified suspects, under charges of murder and rioting. ASP Harendra Kumar confirmed that three of the named accused have been detained and are being questioned. Raids are underway to locate the remaining suspects.
