The prime accused in the murder of 17-year-old Class 11 student Surya Pratap Chauhan was shot and killed in a police encounter in Ghaziabad's Indirapuram area in the early hours of Sunday, three days after the fatal stabbing that triggered widespread protests across the city. Asad, who had been absconding since the May 28 attack and carried a reward of ₹50,000 on his arrest, sustained bullet injuries during a retaliatory exchange of fire with a joint police team and later died during treatment at hospital.
Asad, identified as the prime accused in the Ghaziabad teen’s Bakrid murder case, was killed in a police encounter. One accomplice reportedly fled the scene and a search operation is underway to trace him. Four others have also been named in the FIR, though their current status has not yet been confirmed by police.
28 May 2026 — Bakrid
Surya Pratap Chauhan, 17, a Class 11 student, is fatally stabbed by Asad and his associates in Navneet Vihar Colony in the Khoda police station area. Chauhan is rushed to hospital but succumbs to his injuries during treatment. An FIR is registered against five named accused.
28–30 May 2026
Large-scale protests erupt in Ghaziabad. The victim's family, local residents, and several Hindu organisations stage demonstrations demanding immediate arrest of the accused and swift judicial action. UP Police launches continuous raids. A ₹50,000 reward is declared on Asad's arrest.
30–31 May 2026 — Late night
Intelligence indicates Asad is attempting to collect cash from associates before fleeing the region. Joint teams from Khoda and Indirapuram police stations set up barricades and intercept him in the Abhay Khand area of Indirapuram. Asad and an associate allegedly open fire on officers. Police retaliate. Asad is shot and dies during treatment. One police constable is injured. An accomplice escapes and remains at large.
“On May 28, Asad and his associates attacked Surya Pratap Chauhan with a knife in the Khoda area. The critically injured Surya was admitted to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. Acting on intelligence that Asad was trying to collect cash from associates before fleeing, police set up barricades at multiple locations and launched an intensive checking drive,” said DCP Dhaval Jaiswal of Ghaziabad Police.
The killing on Bakrid had set off days of heightened communal tension in Ghaziabad. According to police, Chauhan and his family had reportedly extended a Bakrid invitation to the accused, a detail that surfaced in local media and added to the anger that drove the subsequent street protests. The Uttar Pradesh police, under sustained public and political pressure, maintained round-the-clock operations in the days following the incident before Saturday night's encounter brought its primary target down.
Police recovered a motorcycle and a weapon from the encounter site, according to officials. The injured constable's condition was not immediately disclosed. The broader investigation into the remaining accused named in the FIR is continuing.
