ALWAR: An Additional District and Sessions Court of Bharatpur Wednesday delivered a verdict in a high-profile murder and assault case that dates back a decade. The court found 23 persons from two feuding families guilty, sentencing 12 to life imprisonment for murder and the remaining 11 to seven years for assault. Additional public prosecutor Dharmendra Kumar said the case traces its roots to a violent altercation that erupted on Aug 16, 2015, in Pipla village, located within the jurisdiction of Chiksana police station of Bharatpur district. The altercation was fueled by political tensions between the families, which escalated into an act of violence involving gunfire.
According to the FIR filed by Dayachand, his nephew Rakesh was standing at the village bus stand when Saudan Singh and his family members allegedly assaulted him. When Rakesh’s relatives intervened, they were also attacked. The complaint alleged that Singh shot Rakesh, killing him on the spot, and that other family members sustained injuries. Dayachand named 15 accused, including Saudan Singh, Gulab, Mukesh, Horilal, Guddu, Kartar, Charan Singh, Omi, Lakhan, Bhagwan Singh, Raghuvir, Mahesh, Khajan, Bhoja and Raju. Police later filed a chargesheet against all 15 accused. During the proceedings, Bhoja, Saudan and Raju died but the court pronounced them guilty, while sentencing the remaining 12 accused to life imprisonment for murder. A counter-FIR was also filed the same day by Shyamlal, alleging that Dayachand and his family members attacked his side and injured several people. Shyamlal’s FIR named 54 people, but police identified 11 accused during investigation. These included Tejpal, Atal Bihari, Tej Singh, Tikam, Dayachand, Raghuvir, Prabhu, Virendra, Charan Singh, Dinesh and Narendra. The court convicted all 11 for assault and sentenced each to seven years’ imprisonment. The courtroom number-3 was filled with a tense atmosphere as a large crowd from both families congregated to hear the verdict, reflecting the two sides’ deep divisions that have lingered since the altercation.
