A man was charred to death and four others were seriously injured after a group of people attacked them over a dispute apparently linked to sand mining business in Chhattisgarh’s Kuria district, police said on Wednesday.
The incident occurred on Tuesday night in Katgodi village of Sonhat tehsil of the district.
A police official said the victims were traveling in two cars, including an SUV, when they were attacked by members of a rival group.
Initial investigations indicate that the attackers repeatedly rammed the four-wheel drive vehicle with a light dump truck, damaging it and jamming its doors, preventing its occupants from escaping. The SUV then caught fire, police said.
Eyewitnesses reported that some of the car’s passengers who tried to smash the car’s windows and get out were assaulted by the attackers.
One of the passengers, identified as Bharat Singh, aged around 60, was burned alive in the accident, while two others traveling in the SUV were seriously injured, the official said.
The attackers also allegedly targeted the victims’ other vehicle, seriously injuring its two occupants, according to police.
After the alert, the police rushed to the scene and brought the situation under control. The injured were initially taken to the district hospital in Baikunthpur and later referred to a hospital in Ambikapur for advanced treatment, the official said.
The police arrested four suspects in connection with the incident, while efforts are still underway to track down the remaining suspects.
According to preliminary information, the violence arose due to a long-standing rivalry between the Singh and Tripathi families over sand mining operations. Both families originally hail from Nagoi village adjacent to Katgudi. While the Singh family currently resides in Baikunthpur, they continue to operate a sand mining and stone crushing business in Katgudi, the official said.
It appears that a dispute broke out between members of the two families on Tuesday afternoon, leading to escalation of tensions. Later in the night, Bharat Singh and his associates went to meet members of the rival group after a phone conversation, after which the encounter turned violent, police said.
Eyewitnesses claimed that the attackers poured fuel on the car before setting it on fire. However, the official said the matter is yet to be confirmed as the car also hit a power pole during the attack.
Police said that forensic experts are examining whether the car was intentionally set on fire after fuel was poured on it, or whether the fire was caused by another factor related to its collision with an electricity pole.
So far, four accused belonging to the Tripathi family have been arrested. They added that efforts are underway to arrest the rest of the accused, adding that investigations are ongoing.
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