A long-running irrigation dispute between neighbours in Dehradun turned deadly after a man was killed and three family members were injured in an alleged attack.
A man was killed and his family was attacked on Saturday evening, allegedly by their neighbours, over a dispute on irrigation in their agricultural fields in Dehradun, police said. The incident has led to communal tensions in the area and a large police contingent has been deployed in an effort to prevent further escalation.
According to police, Vinod Kumar and his family had an ongoing dispute with their neighbour, Imtiaz, over water supply in their fields. On Saturday evening, the altercation resulted in violence, leading to the death of Kumar. Three other family members, including the complainant in the matter, Kumar’s brother Ashok, are receiving treatment at the hospital.
While no arrests have been made in the case yet, police teams have been deployed to nab the accused, officers said.
Following the incident, groups and residents from the majority community gathered in the area, chanting anti-minority slogans and demanding the “encounter of the accused and razing of their houses with bulldozers”.
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Sahaspur Circle Officer Anuj Kumar said a communally charged environment has been reported from the area. “We have the videos in which such speeches were made. We will look into those. However, our priority remains maintaining law and order. We have deployed officers from four police stations, two circle officers, and the Superintendent of Police, crime, to manage the area,” the CO said.
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He added that teams have been deployed to investigate and take action against the accused.
As per the complaint, Ashok Kumar said that they had an ongoing dispute regarding water with their neighbour, Imtiyaz. “Around 6 pm on Saturday, Razzak, Imtiyaz, Aman, Yunus, Shahbaz, Sharafal Ali, Masoom, Adil, Shamoon, Salman, Javed, Intazar (all booked), along with about 30–35 other persons, came to our house. They were armed with sticks, wooden planks, and a hammer. Acting together with a common intention, they launched a murderous assault on members of our family,” the complaint said. In the attack, his older brother Vinod died, while the other family members sustained serious injuries, he added.
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The FIR was registered under sections of murder, attempted murder, rioting, and common intention.