Man stabbed dead after addressing accused as ‘son’ during dispute:Had gone to drop off employees; attacked while trying to defuse row

In Bhopal’s Ashoka Garden area, a minor dispute took a horrific turn late Sunday night when a 35-year-old man was stabbed to death after he tried to pacify the accused by calling him “son”. On Monday morning, angry family members and locals blocked the road in Subhash Colony. The blockade was cleared after about half an hour following police intervention. During this time, an argument also broke out between the family and the police. The family, along with members of Hindu organisations, is staging a protest inside the police station premises. Meanwhile, the victim’s family also created a ruckus outside the mortuary of Hamidia Hospital, where police have been deployed. Ashoka Garden SHO Anurag Lal said the murder occurred over a minor dispute. Three suspects have been detained, while the main accused, Asif alias Bam, is absconding and being searched for. See 3 pictures of the protest… Was returning after closing the hotel, dispute occurred on the way According to police, the deceased Vijay Mewada, a resident of Subhash Colony, ran two tea shops in Ashoka Garden and Kolar areas. Late Sunday night around 1:30 AM, he was returning after closing his shop and dropping his employees in Pragati Nagar. There, the main accused Asif alias Bam was sitting with his associates Farman, Kalu, and Imran, who are said to be old friends of the victim’s employees. Misbehavior with employees, attack on protest The accused asked the employees to accompany them, but they refused, citing early work the next morning. This led to an argument, and the accused allegedly misbehaved with them. Vijay intervened and objected. He tried to calm Asif by addressing him as “son”, which further escalated the situation. According to police, an enraged Asif pulled out a knife and stabbed Vijay in the stomach, while his associates also assaulted him. All the accused fled the scene after the attack. The injured Vijay was immediately taken to a private hospital by employees and locals, but doctors declared him dead.