Man, nephew killed, 2 others critical over property dispute

Varanasi: A man and his nephew were killed, while two other family members suffered serious injuries when their rivals broke into their house and attacked them in Khareed village under Sikanderpur police station in Ballia district on Wednesday late night. The murders took place due to an almost 25-year-old land dispute.
Ballia SP Omveer Singh said that in an old property dispute, Pankaj Yadav (24) and his uncle Anil Yadav (42) were killed, while two other family members, including Geeta Devi (54) and Motichand (60), suffered grave injuries. Both injured persons were admitted to a hospital in Mau, while the bodies were sent for autopsy. Search for the accused persons is on, Singh added.
During initial probe, it came to light that on Wednesday midnight, when Pankaj and other family members had gone to bed, their rivals, including Ramjeet Yadav, his sons Niranjan Yadav, Neeraj Yadav, and Manish Yadav, along with their other accomplices, broke into the house and attacked them. After beating them brutally, the assailants fled the scene.
On hearing their cries, villagers and other relatives of Pankaj alerted the police. All injured persons were immediately rushed to the district hospital. In view of Pankaj's critical condition, doctors referred him to the trauma centre of BHU. However, he died on the way. The other three were referred to Mau, where Anil also died during treatment.
Officials said that the property dispute between the two families was old, and a stay order was also issued by the court. Despite the matter being under litigation, both groups kept coming face to face and clashing in the past, and cases were also lodged against them by the police. When they clashed a month ago, complaints were filed by both parties, and following an investigation, the police filed charge sheets in the court.
Police forces were deployed in the village to avoid the recurrence of untoward incidents, while teams were engaged to nab the accused persons.