Indian Muslim man beaten to death for asking group to turn down New Year music

Waseem Ansari, 19, worked as daily wage labourer in Pune and had returned to his village for New Year's Eve

A Muslim man has been beaten to death in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand after reportedly asking a group to stop playing loud music on New Year's Eve.

Waseem Ansari, 19, worked as a daily wage labourer in Pune and had returned to his village a couple of days ago. The incident took place in Mandar, a town close to the state capital, Ranchi, BBC reported.

After the gruesome incident, people blocked the national motorway, on Tuesday, to demand the arrest of the suspects but the blockade was eventually cleared by police.

Extra security personnel have been deployed in the area to keep peace between Muslim and Hindu communities.

A senior police officer gave BBC an account of the incident saying, "Preliminary inquiry suggests that a group was playing loud music to celebrate New Year's Day."

"Waseem Ansari and two of his friends approached the group and told them to stop playing loud music. This led to an argument and Waseem was attacked by the group. It seems he was hit by one of the sharp instruments used in cooking." The police further requested for people in the two communities to maintain peace and assured them that the suspects would soon be arrested.

Hasibul Ansari, who lives in the same village as the victim, told BBC Hindi: "These people were partying near a Muslim graveyard. When Waseem told them to stop, they killed him.

"His friends were lucky that they managed to escape in time. I am very sure they would have been killed too if they had not escaped."

Correspondents say there are fears that communal and religious divisions are widening in India, with minorities feeling they are not sufficiently protected.

This article originally appeared on BBC.