A violent clash broke out between two communities in Bairajewala village in Dehradun district of Uttarakhand, leaving one man dead and three others seriously injured.
While the police cited a dispute over water as the reason, the family of the deceased claimed it was a financial dispute. The dispute that occurred on Saturday escalated after a dispute between two groups led to stone-throwing, arson and retaliatory violence, Ani News Agency reported.
A case has been registered against three accused and 25 unidentified persons, with the village remaining on alert. Tight security measures were deployed after an angry mob targeted the houses of the accused and set fire to a house after the death of one person. The house of one of the accused was also demolished in the presence of police and district administration officials.
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What do we know about the clashes?
Police said the clash broke out on Saturday evening between members of two communities over a water dispute, according to an earlier HT report.
According to the complaint filed by Ashok Kumar, a resident of Bairajewala, the ongoing dispute over irrigation water between the family of the deceased and a neighboring farmer was the reason for the dispute. The complainant alleged that at around 6.30 pm on Saturday, the farmer arrived at the victim’s house along with 35-40 people armed with sticks and hammers and attacked the family members.
The victim sustained fatal injuries in the attack, according to the FIR. After his death, a group of protesters allegedly set fire to the main suspect’s house in Bairajewala. Subsequently, police personnel were deployed in the area to “prevent any law and order situation,” Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Bramendra Dobhal said.
The deceased’s father refuses to move his son’s body, and claims that a dispute over money led to the fight
Meanwhile, the father of the deceased alleged that his son was killed after being attacked during a financial confrontation linked to a previous dispute.
“I wasn’t there. There wasn’t actually a fight at the time. The conversation about money had taken place the day before. The boy had $14000. He must have asked for the money yesterday. “When he gave the money today, he was killed. If the police do not take action, we will not allow the body to leave this place,” the father told ANI.
Police are searching for the rest of the accused, Jitendra Chaudhary Dehradun SP (Crime) said, adding that they will be arrested soon. “We are currently registering a case based on the formal complaint filed by the family members. Further action will follow. Separate police teams have been formed,” SP Chaudhary was quoted as saying by PTI.
