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Farm labourer bludgeons paddy contractor to death in Mohali
The accused, identified as Shankar Sahu, 43, was arrested on Monday after he confessed to the murder before his employer, Mandeep Singh of Khizarabad village, Mohali
Enraged over a paddy harvest contractor being housed with him in a field, a migrant labourer from Orissa bludgeoned the contractor to death with a spade at Khizarabad village in Mohali’s Majri block on Diwali night.
The accused, identified as Shankar Sahu, 43, was arrested on Monday after he confessed to the murder before his employer, Mandeep Singh of Khizarabad village. The victim, Munni Lal, 41, hailed from Bihar.
Mandeep told the police that Sahu was working in his fields for the past two years and had anger issues. He alleged that Sahu frequently fought with his co-workers after getting drunk.
Around two weeks ago, he assigned the contract to harvest paddy crop in his fields to Munni Lal and housed him in Sahu’s room in a field, where he was living alone. This arrangement did not sit well with Sahu, who also took this up with him, Mandeep said.
He added when he visited his fields on Diwali, he found Sahu arguing with Lal, but he pacified them. But after he left, they started fighting again and in a fit of rage, Sahu attacked Lal with a spade in an inebriated state.
After Lal confessed to the crime, Mandeep rushed to the field and was shocked to find Lal dead, with injuries on the head and face. Mandeep said as he raised the alarm, Sahu fled, when he alerted the police.
A senior police officer said the accused was hiding in the fields near the murder scene and was tracked down on Tuesday. He will be produced before a court on Wednesday.
Police from Majri station moved the body to the mortuary of the Kharar civil hospital, where the autopsy will be done on Wednesday.
Sahu has been booked under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code, punishable with death or imprisonment for life, along with fine.
