A man and his son were bludgeoned to death over an old rivalry in Imliya Sultanpur area of Uttar Pradesh’s Sitapur district on Friday night, police said on Saturday. They said the victims were returning home after attending an SDM court hearing when they were attacked and killed by members of a rival family.
Superintendent of police (SP), Sitapur, Ankur Agarwal informed media persons that the deceased had been identified as Chhote Khan alias Akhtar, 65, and his son Maisoor Khan, 45, residents of Fatehpur Matinpur village.
Both were accused in earlier murder cases involving members of the opposite group of Ramu and were out on bail, the SP added. He said two suspects had been taken into custody in connection with the case and further probe into the matter was in progress.
The police said the incident occurred around 8 pm near the village panchayat building when an altercation broke out between the victims and Ramu, a resident of the same village, following which several others joined in the attack.
The assailants allegedly chased the victims on the road and killed them by crushing the head with bricks before fleeing the spot. Their bodies were later found dumped into a roadside ditch, triggering panic in the area.
Additional superintendent of police (South) Durgesh Singh and circle officer, Maholi, Arun Kumar Singh reached the spot along with police teams. Based on a complaint, police have registered a murder case against the key suspect Ramu and his six accomplices besides launching a hunt to arrest the accused.
Another police official said the killings were the result of a 25-year-old enmity between the two families. In 2000, Ramu’s father Thakur Prasad was murdered and Chhote Khan and his son Maisoor were named as accused in the case. They were later released on bail.
The rivalry intensified in 2011 after the murder of Santosh, Thakur Prasad’s son and Ramu’s brother. Once again, Chhote Khan and his son were accused in the case and sent to jail. They were released on bail about a year ago.
Local villagers said Ramu had often threatened to avenge the deaths of his father and brother. They claimed that the father and son had been living in Mitauli area of Lakhimpur Kheri for nearly a year and had returned to the village only four days ago for agricultural work.
They said tensions resurfaced on Thursday when they reportedly crossed Ramu’s house, leading to a heated argument and scuffle. Police had taken preventive action against both sides at the time. Residents alleged that despite the violent history between the families, the situation was not handled seriously enough and resulted in the double murder on Friday.
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