Minor Dalit Hindu boy killed by Muslim men over mango theft; body found hanging from tree

Case ID : ea34d66 | Location : Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Sun, 18 May, 2025

Case ID : ea34d66

Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, India

18 May, 2025

Minor Dalit Hindu boy killed by Muslim men over mango theft; body found hanging from tree

Undecided cases

Attacked/Killed for Hindu identity

Case Summary

In Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, a 15-year-old Dalit Hindu boy named Ravi Gautam was murdered by two Muslims after he was found plucking mangoes from their orchard. After the murder, the accused hanged his body from a Neem tree in an attempt to make it appear as a suicide. According to news reports, the accused have been identified as Mohammad Sabir, also known as Chailu, son of Amjad Ali, and Mohammad Arshad, son of Mohammad Sabir. On the day of the incident, Ravi Gautam had gone out to collect some goods. When he did not return home for a long time, his family became concerned and began searching for him. Someone then informed Sanjay, Ravi’s uncle, that his nephew’s body was hanging from a neem tree near Salim’s farm in the village. Sanjay went to the spot with other family members, where a large crowd had already gathered. The police had also arrived after being notified. The body was taken down from the tree and taken into custody by the authorities. Sanjay suspected that Mohammad Sabir, also known as Chailu, was responsible for Ravi’s death and filed a police complaint, demanding strict action against the accused. Following the complaint, the police immediately registered a case and began an investigation. The case was registered under Section 103(1) of the Indian Penal Code and the SC/ST Act. During the investigation, the police gathered evidence related to the murder and also identified two suspects, Mohammad Arshad and Mohammad Sabir. Both were residents of the same village as the deceased. The police arrested both perpetrators in another part of Sitapur as they attempted to flee. During police interrogation, Sabir and Arshad initially tried to evade the issue, but eventually confessed. Sabir stated that on 19th May 2025, while he was guarding the mango orchard, Ravi Gautam arrived and began picking mangoes. Enraged, Sabir struck Ravi with a stick, causing him to fall to the ground in pain. Sabir then stamped on Ravi’s neck, killing him instantly. Afterwards, Sabir called Arshad, who arrived on a motorbike. Together, they transported the body to a nearby neem tree and hanged it with a rope to make it appear as a suicide. Police recovered the stick and rope used in the murder. Section 238(a) of the Indian Penal Code was added to the case. Arshad and Sabir were been arrested and sent to jail. The police assured further appropriate action in this case.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

While the immediate cause in the Sitapur case appears to be non-religious—the act of plucking mangoes—the extreme violence inflicted on the 15-year-old Dalit Hindu boy, along with the attempt to disguise the murder as a suicide, raises serious concerns about possible premeditation and deeper motives. The disproportionate brutality suggests that the Muslim perpetrators may have harbored deep-seated animosity toward the victim, potentially driven by religious bias and hatred. Such excessive violence in response to a minor dispute often reflects underlying communal tensions. There is a well-documented precedent where hostility towards the Hindu community, particularly Dalits, plays a significant role in similar violent incidents. These acts are rarely isolated but frequently stem from entrenched religious intolerance and animosity, fitting into a broader pattern of anti-Hindu hatred. However, since there are currently no explicit indicators of religious motivation in this case, nor has the victim’s family pointed to such a motive, the case remains classified as ‘Undecided’ in the database. Should further evidence emerge confirming that the violence was religiously motivated, the case will be reclassified accordingly within the hate crime tracker.