Jawad (Madhya Pradesh): A couple was killed and their son was seriously injured in a premeditated attack stemming from a long-standing land dispute in Kanka village, under the Nayagaon outpost area of Jawad tehsil in Neemuch district on Wednesday morning.
As per reports, at 7:30 am, Puranmal Rathore (52) and his wife Sampat Bai were called to come to a well on disputed land under the pretext of a compromise.
Daughter Vandana Rathore said that her father was lured to the well under false pretences, where attackers had already hatched a plan to attack her family.
She alleged that the attackers first incapacitated her father by throwing chilli powder at him, then broke his limbs and finally killed him by striking his head with an axe. Her mother, Sampat Bai, and brother, Jeevan, were also brutally attacked.
Sampat Bai was referred to a hospital in Udaipur in critical condition and succumbed to her injuries by evening. Her son Jeevan was admitted to a private hospital in Neemuch.
Vandana Rathore accused her uncle, Ramniwas Rathore, of orchestrating the attack by engaging outside assailants.
The family alleged they had previously filed complaints with police regarding the land dispute and had reported death threats, but no effective action was taken. Police have not officially confirmed these allegations.
Following the post-mortem, family members and community members placed the body on the road at the Massey Showroom intersection in Neemuch.
Traffic on the road was severely affected. Protesters demanded immediate arrest of the accused, financial compensation and demolition of their properties.
Tehsildar Sanjay Malviya and senior police officials reached the scene, assured the family of legal action and persuaded them to lift the blockade.
ASP Hemlata Agarwal confirmed the incident stemmed from a family land dispute and said that police would take strict action based on available evidence and witness statements.
Jawad SDOP Rohit Rathod inspected the crime scene and collected evidence.
