Man Killed Outside Alwar Police Station, Protests Demand Probe

A 40-year-old man was killed in broad daylight outside a police station in Rajasthan's Alwar district on September 24, an attack that triggered protests and questions about the police response.

Saikun Khan, a resident of Bada Vas, had gone to Baroda Meo market on his motorcycle to buy a tyre, police said. According to inspector Rajkumar, Khan dropped a fellow villager, Noor Mohammad, near a bank and was passing in front of the Baroda Meo police station around 10 am when the accused, Harsh Moortikar, allegedly stopped him, pulled him off the motorcycle and struck his head repeatedly with a stone.

"There was no enmity between the two, and they didn't know each other. It seems like the accused has some mental health issues," the inspector said, adding that the incident occurred on the left side of the police station. Police said they reached the spot as soon as they learned of the attack and arrested the accused, who was presented before a magistrate. A psychiatric evaluation has been sought.

Officers denied speculation that the attack was communal in nature.

Khan was rushed to a community health centre and later referred to Alwar, but died while being taken to the district hospital.

The killing led to protests outside the Baroda Meo police station and the Alwar district hospital. Demonstrators demanded action against personnel posted at the station, compensation for Khan's family and a probe into the circumstances of his death. Protesters also blocked the Alwar-Bharatpur road, disrupting traffic on September 24, while additional police teams were deployed in the area.

Tikaram Jully, the Congress MLA from Alwar, described the incident as a "black stain on the forehead of Rajasthan's law and order". "The morale of criminals in the state has soared to such heights that they no longer fear the law even in front of police stations," he said. "When police stations themselves are not safe, one can easily gauge the state of law and order in the province. Where does the common man go for justice and security?"

Kashmir's chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said in a post on X that the killing was horrifying and that Khan's family alleges he was targeted because his beard and skullcap identified him as a Muslim. He called for a thorough investigation and for those responsible to be brought to justice, and criticised what he described as inflammatory and communal remarks by leaders in positions of power, saying such rhetoric normalises prejudice and emboldens hatred.