A disabled man was tied to a pole and beaten to death in Delhi’s Sundar Nagari area for allegedly consuming prasad at a temple on Tuesday. Several people were detained in connection with the incident.

A video of the incident, widely shared on social media, shows the man, identified as Isar Mohammed (26), appealing to the crowd for help as he cries in pain. However, the mob continued to attack him with sticks accusing him of theft.

Isar cried in pain and pleaded, but the men continued to thrash him mercilessly, the video showed.

According to the complaint filed by the victim’s father, Abdul Wajid, their neighbour later brought him home and informed him about the incident.

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When he reached home he found injury marks all over Isar’s body. Wajid said his son died at home before they could take him to a hospital.

Police said they have arrested six persons — Kamal (23); his brother Manoj (19); his employee Yunus (20); Kishan (19), a labourer; Pappu (24), a factory worker; and Lucky, who runs a momo stall — and apprehended a minor, aged 17, in connection with the murder.

“The accused claimed that around 5 am, they caught Isar lurking around the area and thought that he was a thief. They asked him questions but he was unable to reply properly since he was mentally challenged. They then tied him to an electric pole and thrashed him,” said DCP (Northeast) Joy N Tirkey, Indian Express reported.

A senior officer said the post-mortem report shows blunt force injuries all over the victim’s body, including his head, back, arms, and legs. The cause of death is said to be “shock and hemorrhage”.

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On Wednesday, Isar’s family claimed he was not a thief and had only picked up some food because he was hungry. They said he worked odd jobs to support the family. He is survived by his father and four sisters. Isar’s father, Abdul Wajid (60), is a fruit vendor in the area.

Police said the incident took place hardly 400 metres away from Isar’s home where he spotted a platform (chowki) with some prasad and food items lying around. Police said he was surrounded by a group of 5-6 locals who beat him up on suspicion of theft and tied him to a pole.

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An officer said he was beaten up from 5 am to 9 am. Around 2-3 pm, Isar’s neighbor, Amir (17), found him lying near a shop and dropped him home in an e-rickshaw, Indian Express reported.

Paramilitary forces have been deployed outside the victim’s house, at the spot, and in the area to maintain peace.