In Dadri's Bishahra village, Mohammed Akhlaq, 51, was dragged out of his house and killed by a mob in September last year on suspicion of eating beef, which had triggered communal tension in the region.
On Tuesday, one of the accused in the case died of kidney and respiratory failure at a hospital.
Ravi Sisodia, 22, was rushed to Lok Nayak Jaiprakash Hospital from the district hospital in Noida, Uttar Pradesh after suffering "kidney failure".
It is also suspected that Sisodia was suffering from dengue, though hospital authorities said, "Medical report is still awaited."
Though the cause of his death was still not clear, it didn’t take much time for politics over his death to start. Sisodia’s family claimed that he was healthy but had been killed by the jail staff.
In a video that was published on Twitter by Mohammad Ali, shows Sisodia’s body covered with the tricolour and several people sitting around it.
The tricolour part was not what was surprising though. An unidentified man can be seen in the video talking about taking revenge on the “mullas” for killing Sisodia.
He goes on to say that Hindus should not let Sisodia’s death go in vain. He goes into a laudatory speech about Sisodia and tries to get the attention of the masses.
Thousands of villagers came out in protests and demanded the immediate release of all the 17 others accused in the incident.
The village continued to be tense with several Hindutva leaders addressing the crowds. Sadhvi Prachi, the VHP leader accused in the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, was also present at the gathering.
The protesters also demanded one crore as compensation and a government job to Sisodia’s family.
He was brought here in a very bad condition, with kidney failure and high blood sugar level, around 12 noon. He died around 7 pm of kidney and respiratory failure.Dr JC Passey, Medical Superintendent of LNJP Hospital
Meanwhile, mothers of 13 of the other accused have been on an indefinite hunger strike since Saturday.
National Human Rights Commission has issued a notice to UP police and sought a report on Sisodia’s death.
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