Saddam Qureshi, one of the three men who were allegedly attacked by a mob while transporting cattle in Chhattisgarh’s Raipur, died on Tuesday in a hospital after a 10-day battle for life. The two others who were with him died on June 7, the day of the alleged attack.
According to doctors at Raipur’s Sri Balaji Super Specialty Hospital, 23-year-old Saddam Qureshi remained in a coma until his death. Police had earlier said they were waiting for Saddam Qureshi’s recovery to record his statement as his cousins Kuttu Khan (35) and Chand Mia Khan (23) died in the incident.
The Chhattisgarh police registered a case of attempted murder and culpable homicide in the case after Saddam Qureshi’s cousin Shoaib claimed that the phone call from Saddam Qureshi was a frenzy when the trio were attacked.
“Saddam Qureshi was an accomplice. He called me and kept the phone in his pocket. He screamed that his arm and leg were broken. Shoaib said he screamed, ‘Give me a sip of water, please don’t hit me’. We also heard some men asking him, ‘Where did you get it from…we won’t leave you,'” Shoaib said.
Additional SP Raipur (urban) Keerthan Rathore confirmed that no one has been arrested in the case so far.
Saddam Qureshi was brought to the hospital at 7 am on June 7, unconscious and unable to speak.
Dr Deepak Jaiswal, medical superintendent of the hospital where Saddam Qureshi was being treated, told The Indian Express: “He suffered a massive head injury on the right side of his brain due to which his head was swollen and blood flow was reduced. We performed a decompressive craniectomy on his head and another gastrectomy. He also sustained multiple fractures to his ribs, shoulder, hip, left arm and spine.”
On Sunday, around 50 people took out a protest rally at the Raj Bhavan demanding justice in the case.
