According to police, the accused beat up Ranjan and his brother-in-law over giving way to their vehicle.
Seven persons have been arrested for the murder of a 45-year-old village pradhan at Semardari village in Gorakhpur district, police said on Tuesday. All the arrested persons are distant relatives and neighbours of the pradhan, said police.
Janak Dhari Ranjan, a Dalit village pradhan, was beaten to death with sticks and stones during a clash at Semardari village Monday evening.
The village pradhan’s brother-in-law Mithlesh Kumar (30), who had sustained injuries in the clash, is undergoing treatment at a hospital and his condition is said to be stable.
According to police, the accused beat up Ranjan and his brother-in-law over giving way to their vehicle. Police said that a consignment of tiles was being unloaded from a vehicle at the village Panchayat Bhawan in the presence of Ranjan and Mithlesh on Monday evening when a Bolero, carrying the accused, sought passage to go ahead. After the pradhan refused to move the vehicle, saying that they will have to wait till the tiles are unloaded, the accused entered into and an argument with the pradhan, which soon turned violent.
Pradhan was taken to a hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.
Additional Superintendent of Police (Gorakhpur) Manoj Kumar Awasthi said that all the accused named in the FIR have been arrested.
This story first appeared on indianexpress.com