Kutch: Clash between two families leaves six dead\, four injured

Kutch: Clash between two families leaves six dead, four injured

Police said the trouble started at around 10:30 pm on Wednesday outside the residence of Sakina Boliya, sarpanch of Chhasra village.

By: Express News Service | Rajkot | Published: October 24, 2018 2:01:27 pm
The Rajkot Rural SP said the motive behind the attack was still under investigation. (Representational) SIX PERSONS were killed and four others were injured as members of two families belonging to two different communities clashed over an old dispute related to a local election, in Chhasra village of Mundra taluka in Kutch late on Tuesday night. However, police said the issue was between two families only and that there was no further escalation in violence in the village on Wednesday. “Members of two families came face to face late last night due to an old dispute after election to Chhasra village panchayat. In the violence, four persons were murdered from one group while two from others were also killed,” MS Bharada, superintendent of police of Kutch (west) told The Indian Express on Wednesday. Police said the trouble started at around 10:30 pm on Wednesday outside the residence of Sakina Boliya, sarpanch of Chhasra village. The victims were identified as Bharat Chavda, his brother Mangal and cousin brothers Chetan and Bhargav. The victims from the other group were identified as sarpanch Sakina’s son Abid (24) and her father-in-law Adam (86). Bharat’s younger brother Ritesh (23) and cousin Atul, as well as sarpanch Sakina and her husband Arab (48), were injured in the clash. But the SP said the incident was the result of an old dispute and did not have any communal overtones. “The clash was between two families only and it did not deteriorate into a clash between two communities. After the clash, both sides dispersed on their own and rushed the injured to hospitals on their own. There has been no further violence. The situation is under control in the village. Inspector general of police of border range and other officers are camping in the village. A company of SRP has also been deployed in the village as a precautionary measure,” said Bharada. After the incident, cross-complaints were filed by Ritesh and Arab with Mundra police station. Based on Ritesh’s complaint, police have booked Arab, sarpanch Sakina, their sons Aabid and Abdul; Arab’s parents Adam and Jalabai and five other members of their extended family for murder, rioting etc. On the other hand, based on a complaint filed by Arab, the husband of the Chhasra village sarpanch, Mundra police have booked Bharat, Mangal, Bham Pancha Ahir and Chetan for murder, rioting etc. In his complaint, Ritesh stated that while Mangal and Chetan were going on their farm on their tractor last night, sarpanch’s son Aabid came in a Bolero car and started abusing Mangal. However, Aabid dis not stop abuse and dared Mangal to whatever he can. Upon this, their elder brother Bharat went to sarpanch’s residence in his car to complain to Sakina about her son. Mangal and Chetan also followed Bharat to the sarpanch’s residence. “Sarpanch Sakina, her husband Arab and others were waiting for us, wielding weapons like scythe, spear, knives, swords, sticks etc and they attacked my brother Bharat as soon as he reached there. They also attacked Mangal, Chetan and Bhargav and knocked them all to ground… While we were shifting the injured into our car, Arab rammed his Bolero car in our car with the intent to kill us,” Ritesh stated in his complaint. However, in the cross-complaint, Arab, who is a civil contractor stated that Bharat, Mangal, Panchabhai’s son Nim (alias Bhargav) and Chetan came to his residence in a car on Tuesday night and started abusing him while he was sitting outside his residence. They also started vandalising a CCTV camera installed at the sarpanch’s house. “When I requested them not to use foul words and not to break the CCTV camera, they became incensed and attacked me with sticks and steel pipes. After hearing my cries for help, my wife came out of the house and shielded me. But the assailants attacked her also. In the meantime, my son Abid rushed out of our home to help us, but the quartet hit him in his head with a stick and knocked him down. They also attacked my father Adam who had rushed the spot by then,” said Arab. He also stated that Bharat got into Bolero car belonging to them and ran it twice over his son Abid who was lying on the ground and then crashed it into a wall with an intent to damage it. Bharat and six others were shifted to Adani Hospital in Mundra town where Bharat, Mangal, Chetan and Bhargav were declared dead. Abid, Adam, Arab and Sakina were first rushed to another private hospital in Mundra and were later referred to a government hospital in Bhuj for further treatment. Abid and Adam were declared dead later on. Arab said the other group attacked them as they had lost in the election to village panchayat two years ago. “My wife had contested election to the post of village sarpanch two years ago. Chetan Gaga Ahir’s wife Raniben was the rival candidate but she had lost the election. However, her family members attacked us now due to their defeat at the election,” Arab’s complaint reads. The sarpanch’s husband, who is undergoing treatment at the hospital in Bhuj, also said that the accused rammed their tractor in the gate of his residence and later threatened to kill him and his family members. Sources said that Sakina’s family had given a number of complaints against the other group since she won the panchayat election two years ago. The SP said that sarpanch's family had decided to conduct the funeral of their two members in Bhuj while the four from the other group were likely to be cremated in Chhasra village later on Wednesday. Police said the issue was between two families only and that there was no further escalation in violence in the village on Wednesday. (File)

Six persons were killed and four injured when members of two families clashed over a dispute related to a local election held two years ago, in Chhasra village of Mundra taluka in Kutch late on Tuesday night. Police, however, said there was no further escalation in violence in the village.

“Members of two families came face to face late last night due to an old dispute after the election to Chhasra village panchayat. In the violence, four persons of one group were killed while two from the other,” superintendent of police of Kutch (west), MS Bharada, told The Indian Express on Wednesday.

Police said the trouble started around 10:30 pm Wednesday outside the residence of Sakina Boliya, the sarpanch of Chhasra village.

The victims were identified as Bharat Chavda, his brother Mangal and cousin brothers Chetan and Bhargav. The victims from the other group were identified as sarpanch Sakina’s son Abid (24) and her father-in-law Adam (86). Bharat’s younger brother Ritesh (23) and cousin Atul, as well as sarpanch Sakina and her husband Arab (48), were injured in the clash.

The SP said the incident did not have any communal overtones. “The clash was between two families only and it did not deteriorate into a clash between two communities. After the clash, both sides rushed the injured to hospital. There has been no further violence,” he said.

“The situation is under control in the village. Inspector general of police of border range and other officers are camping in the village. A company of SRP has also been deployed in the village as a precautionary measure,” added Bharada.

After the incident, cross-complaints were filed by Ritesh and Arab with Mundra police station. Based on Ritesh’s complaint, police have booked Arab, Sakina, Abid and Abdul; Arab’s parents Adam and Jalabai and five other members of their extended family for murder, rioting, etc.

On the other hand, based on a complaint filed by Arab, the husband of the Chhasra village sarpanch, Mundra police have booked Bharat, Mangal, Bham Pancha Ahir and Chetan for murder and rioting, etc.

In his complaint, Ritesh stated that while Mangal and Chetan were going on their farm on their tractor last night, sarpanch’s son Aabid came in a Bolero car and started abusing Mangal and dared the latter to do whatever he can.

Upon this, their elder brother Bharat went to sarpanch’s residence to complain to Sakina about her son. Mangal and Chetan also followed Bharat. “Sarpanch Sakina, her husband Arab and others were waiting for us, wielding weapons like scythe, spear, knives, swords, sticks etc and they attacked my brother Bharat as soon as he reached there. They also attacked Mangal, Chetan and Bhargav and knocked them all to ground… While we were shifting the injured into our car, Arab rammed his Bolero car in our car with the intent to kill us,” Ritesh stated in his complaint.

However, in the cross-complaint, Arab, who is a civil contractor stated that Bharat, Mangal, Panchabhai’s son Nim (alias Bhargav) and Chetan came to his residence in a car on Tuesday night and started abusing him while he was sitting outside his residence. They also started vandalising a CCTV camera installed at the sarpanch’s house.

“When I requested them not to use foul words and not to break the CCTV camera, they became incensed and attacked me with sticks and steel pipes. After hearing my cries for help, my wife came out of the house and shielded me. But the assailants attacked her also. In the meantime, my son Abid rushed out of our home to help us, but the quartet hit him in his head with a stick and knocked him down. They also attacked my father Adam who had rushed the spot by then,” said Arab.

He also stated that Bharat got into Bolero car belonging to them and ran it twice over his son Abid who was lying on the ground and then crashed it into a wall with an intent to damage it.

Bharat and six others were shifted to Adani Hospital in Mundra town where Bharat, Mangal, Chetan and Bhargav were declared dead. Abid, Adam, Arab and Sakina were first rushed to another private hospital in Mundra and were later referred to a government hospital in Bhuj for further treatment. Abid and Adam were declared dead later on.

Arab said the other group attacked them as they had lost in the election to village panchayat two years ago. “My wife had contested election to the post of village sarpanch two years ago. Chetan Gaga Ahir’s wife Raniben was the rival candidate but she had lost the election. However, her family members attacked us now due to their defeat at the election,” Arab’s complaint reads.

The sarpanch’s husband, who is undergoing treatment at the hospital in Bhuj, also said that the accused rammed their tractor in the gate of his residence and later threatened to kill him and his family members.

Sources said that Sakina’s family had given a number of complaints against the other group since she won the panchayat election two years ago.

The SP said that sarpanch’s family had decided to conduct the funeral of their two members in Bhuj while the four from the other group were likely to be cremated in Chhasra village later on Wednesday.