In a shocking incident, a 24-year-old pharmacist was allegedly beaten to death by unidentified people in Uttar Pradesh’s Barabanki on Sunday over a suspected land dispute, reports news agency PTI.
Around midnight, three men arrived at Satyendra Vishwakarma’s clinic, pretending to be customers in need of medicine, police said. When he opened the door, they forced their way in and began attacking him.
Vishwakarma, who had been asleep moments earlier, was beaten with sticks and rods by the attackers.
As per locals, the pharmacist tried to escape, but the assailants chased him down. A local named Vivek Chandra Nag tried to intervene, but he too was assaulted in doing so.
Police said Vishwakarma was admitted to hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries. The assailants fled the scene after hearing a commotion nearby, officials added.
Victim’s mother accuses four villagers of plotting attack
The victim’s mother, Gangotri Devi, told police that Vishwakarma had a land dispute with four villagers — Santlal, Kishore, Rajendra Prasad, and Lal Bahadur — over property and tree-cutting. She blamed them for her son's death.
Station House Officer (SHO) Sudhir Kumar Singh said the police have filed a case based on a complaint by the victim’s father, Ganga Prasad.
{{/usCountry}}Station House Officer (SHO) Sudhir Kumar Singh said the police have filed a case based on a complaint by the victim’s father, Ganga Prasad.
{{/usCountry}}“We are interrogating several individuals and examining CCTV footage from the clinic. The culprits will be arrested soon,” Singh said.
Originally from Dadia Mau village, Vishwakarma had been running his clinic since last year after finishing a pharmacy course.
Man beaten to death over goat trespassing
A similar incident happened earlier this week in UP's Ballia where a 30-year-old man was allegedly beaten to death with sticks following a dispute over his goat entering a neighbour’s land in Singhpur village of Ballia district, police said on Friday.
The incident occurred on Thursday night in the Phephana area when the victim, Awadhesh, got into an argument with his neighbour after the animal strayed onto the latter’s property.
During the altercation, Awadhesh was struck on the head. He was rushed to the district hospital, where he was declared dead by doctors, officials added.
(With PTI inputs)