Ayodhya: A mother and her 22-year-old son were beaten to death in Ayodhya’s Khandaasa area late Thursday night in a brutal assault linked to a simmering land dispute.
The attack occurred as the son, Premnath, returned from a local condolence event. He was ambushed near his house by a group armed with rods and sticks. His mother, Kunta Devi (55), rushed out, pleading for mercy and eventually threw herself over her son to shield him. Both were relentlessly beaten until lifeless.
Two other family members Premnath’s younger brother and sister in law were also severely injured while trying to intervene. The attackers, allegedly led by a neighbour named Sonu, had contested Premnath’s year old land purchase from Guddu Singh, citing ancestral claims.
The matter was pending in a local revenue court. While police have detained seven accused, including Sonu, under serious charges, locals remain anxious. Law enforcement has clamped down on the village, and postmortems are being conducted in Ayodhya and Lucknow.
The administration’s earlier intervention in the dispute had failed to de-escalate tensions. Despite prior notices issued to both parties, Thursday’s fatal incident exposes lapses in local conflict resolution mechanisms. The village remains under heavy watch, with movement restricted and silence prevailing.
