A 65-year-old Muazzin of a mosque was brutally murder on Thursday near the prayer place under Taliya police station area in the State capital. The victim was around 90 per cent blind, the eyewitnesses said.
Nisar Ahmed, attached to Akhade Wali Masjid, was allegedly attacked in neck with a sharp object by unidentified person (s) when he was sitting on a bench near the mosque, said Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Rajesh Singh Bhadoriya.
Muazzin is an official of a mosque who summons the faithful to prayer from a minaret five times a day. He said Ahmed was possibly attacked with a screwdriver.
“After he was attacked, Ahmed ran towards the mosque, but collapsed in its compound,” said the Addl SP. Ahmed was rushed to a hospital where doctors declared him brought dead, the officer said.
“He died due to excessive bleeding. The wound was not lethal, but bleeding for a long period of time caused his death,” Bhadoriya said quoting a doctor.
When asked about the exact number of attackers involved in the incident, the officer said the investigation was on. Another senior police officer said initial investigation suggested that the killing could be the fallout of an internal rivalry in the mosque.
He said Ahmed died due to excessive bleeding, as he failed to get help in time. “Police were informed late about the incident,” he said, adding, “We are hopeful of cracking the murder mystery shortly,” Bhopal Inspector General of Police Jaideep Prasad told. Meanwhile, police personnel have been deployed around the mosque.
Soon after the news of murder spread, tension gripped the Old city areas and huge number of people gathered.
On the receipt of the news ,senior police officials Bhopal IG and DIG rushed to spot to take the stock of the situation.
DIG Dharmendra Choudhary said that the body would be handed over to the family for the last rites which would be performed in Shujalpur.
The community members have been appealed to support and cooperate as the killer would be nabbed at the earliest.