Man burnt alive, 4 injured in clash over sand mining dispute in Chhattisgarh

A 60-year-old man was charred to death and four others critically injured after a rival faction repeatedly rammed their SUV with a truck over a sand mining dispute in Chhattisgarh's Korea district. Four suspects have been arrested

Korea (Chhattisgarh): A man was charred to death and four others suffered serious injuries after a group of persons allegedly attacked them over a dispute apparently linked to the sand mining business in Chhattisgarh’s Korea district, police said on Wednesday.

The incident occurred on Tuesday night in Katgodi village under Sonhat tehsil of the district.

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The victims were travelling in two vehicles, including an SUV, when they were allegedly attacked by members of a rival group, a police official said.

Preliminary investigation suggests that the attackers repeatedly rammed the SUV with a light tipper truck, damaging it and jamming its doors, preventing the occupants from escaping. The SUV subsequently caught fire, the police said.

Eyewitnesses claimed that some occupants who tried to break the vehicle’s windows and come out were assaulted by the attackers.

One of the occupants, identified as Bharat Singh, aged around 60 years, was burnt alive in the incident, while two others travelling in the SUV suffered severe burn injuries, the official said.

The attackers also allegedly targeted the other car of the victims, seriously injuring its two occupants, according to the police.

After being alerted, police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control. The injured were initially admitted to the district hospital in Baikunthpur and later referred to a hospital in Ambikapur for advanced treatment, the official said.

Police have arrested four accused in connection with the incident, while efforts are underway to trace the remaining suspects.

As per preliminary information, the violence stemmed from a long-standing rivalry between Singh and Tripathi families over sand mining operations. Both families are originally from Nagoi village adjacent to Katgodi. While the Singh family currently resides in Baikunthpur, it continues to operate sand mining and stone-crushing businesses in Katgodi, the official said.

A dispute apparently broke out between members of the two families on Tuesday afternoon, escalating tensions. Later in the night, Bharat Singh and his associates allegedly went to meet members of the rival group after a phone conversation, following which the confrontation turned violent, as per the police.

Eyewitnesses alleged that the attackers poured fuel on the SUV before setting it ablaze. However, it is yet to be confirmed because the vehicle had also struck an electricity pole during the attack, the official said.

Forensic experts were examining whether the vehicle was deliberately set ablaze after fuel was poured on it or whether the fire was triggered by some other factor related to its collision with an electricity pole, the police said.

So far, four accused belonging to the Tripathi family have been arrested. Efforts are on to apprehend the remaining accused, they said, adding that further investigation is underway.