Driver dies days after assault by group of kanwariyas in Uttar Pradesh; FIRs give conflicting accounts

A 24-year-old driver who was assaulted allegedly by a group of kanwariyas died at a hospital in New Delhi on August 4.

The victim, Mohd Azeem, hailed from Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh. According to an FIR filed on a complaint from his father, Mohd Intezar, Azeem was driving a mini-truck from Moradabad towards Delhi for work on July 31 when it collided with an autorickshaw in Hapur district. The autorickshaw was being driven by 19-year-old Mohd Farman and was carrying several passengers who, according to the complaint, were kanwariyas.

Kanwariyas are devotees of Lord Shiva and carry water from the Ganga to their hometowns across north India during the Hindu month of Shravan.

“Following the collision, the autorickshaw driver and the passengers, Manish, Ankit, Lokesh and Shivam, and two others, assaulted my son severely,” the FIR states. Azeem sustained serious injuries and was taken to a nursing home in Garhmukhteshwar, from where he was referred to a higher medical centre.

Azeem was subsequently shifted to SS Hospital in Meerut, where his condition remained critical and he slipped into a coma. He was later taken to Delhi, where he died on August 4 without responding to treatment, according to his family.

His father told The Hindu on Monday (August 10, 2026) that Azeem was the sole breadwinner of a family of five. He is survived by his wife, one-year-old son, and his elderly parents.

According to the Hapur police, the autorickshaw driver also suffered serious injuries and is in a critical condition. Garhmukteshwar Station House Officer Devendra Singh said another FIR was lodged on August 3 on a complaint from Mr. Farman’s father, who alleged that it was Azeem who tried to kill Mr. Farman.

“His father said Azeem ran down Farman, not once but twice. He then drove over Farman’s abdomen and chest, before fleeing the scene. But now as Azeem is dead, we are initiating the process of filing a closure report in the the FIR against him,” said the police official.