A chilling incident occurred on Tuesday (October 22) evening in the Akhandnagar police station area of Uttar Pradesh. In Khanpur Pilai village, 70-year-old Brahmin elder Umashankar Dubey was beaten to death with sticks by a group of people. He was reportedly grazing his animals when an altercation broke out between him and some villagers. What started as a minor dispute quickly escalated into a violent attack, and the elderly man was mercilessly assaulted.
Dispute Turns Deadly, Dalit Community Members Accused
Umashankar Dubey had gone out to graze his livestock as usual when the confrontation with some villagers intensified. The attackers severely injured him using sticks.
Umashankar was immediately taken by family members to the Akhandnagar Community Health Centre, where Dr Vivek Verma declared him dead. The victim’s relatives alleged that members of the Dalit community from the village were involved in the attack, claiming the incident was the result of old enmity. Following the accusations, tension spread across the village, prompting the police to deploy additional forces to prevent further unrest.
Family Protests with Body, Police Investigate
As news of the murder spread, the family and villagers staged an angry protest by placing Umashankar Dubey’s body at Akhandnagar chowk and blocking the road. The family insisted that the postmortem would not be conducted until the arrest of all the accused. The demonstration caused significant traffic disruptions and inconvenience to the public. Upon receiving information, the police station in charge, Deepak Kushwaha and his team arrived at the scene to calm the situation. According to him, the victim’s son stated they would permit the postmortem only after all brothers had arrived.
Police Confirm Arrests Following Encounter
The special operations group (SOG)/surveillance team conducted a joint action related to the murder case, resulting in the arrest of two wanted accused during a police encounter. These suspects were found in possession of illegal arms.
Sultanpur Superintendent of Police Kunwar Anupam Singh said, “the elderly man was grazing buffaloes near a river when a fight broke out among youths. He intervened during the scuffle but got injured. He later died due to an injury while receiving treatment. Based on the primary complaint by the family, relevant charges were pressed, and the two named accused were arrested and sent to jail.”
He also mentioned, “Both accused engaged in a police encounter and fired upon the police. During the retaliatory response, one of the accused was also injured. Further legal proceedings are underway in the case.”
