MP youth dies after leg chopped off by woman’s family over relationship dispute; 4 arrested

BHOPAL: A 20-year-old man who was brutally assaulted and his leg was severed with an axe in Madhya Pradesh’s Singrauli district died during treatment. Police arrested 4 members of a woman’s family who allegedly attacked him over a relationship dispute, police said on Sunday.

The incident took place on the intervening night of February 27 and 28 in Pokhra village under Bargawan police station limits. The victim, identified as Sandeep Yadav of Azadpur (Ghinhagaon), was found lying unconscious with his left leg chopped off and multiple injuries in a field on the morning of February 28.

He was initially taken to the district hospital in Baidhan and later referred to a hospital in Jabalpur, where he succumbed to his injuries during treatment.
Police said 4 persons—Bholanath Panika (39), Melasagar Panika (19), Pooja Panika (20) and Munni Devi Panika (40)—all residents of Pokhra village, were arrested in connection with the case. According to investigators, Sandeep and Pooja were in a relationship for several months and frequently spoke over the phone.

Police said the victim also visited her house after being called there. However, tensions arose after Pooja’s marriage was fixed with another man in Sonbhadra district of neighbouring Uttar Pradesh. Police said Sandeep allegedly began pressuring her to marry him and objected to the proposed alliance.

Disturbed by the situation, Pooja allegedly informed her mother, brother and uncle about the pressure being exerted by the victim. Investigators said the family then hatched a plan to call Sandeep to their house and convince him to stay away from her. On the night of February 27, Pooja allegedly called Sandeep to her house. When he arrived, the 4 accused allegedly restrained him and tried to persuade him to stop meeting her.

When he refused and continued insisting on marriage, the accused allegedly assaulted him with sticks and beat him. Police said they also used an electric wire to administer shocks in an attempt to intimidate him.

Investigators said that during the assault, Bholanath Panika allegedly attacked the victim with an axe, chopping off his left leg. Believing he died after losing a large amount of blood, the accused allegedly carried his body and dumped it in a field belonging to a villager nearby.

Police said the accused also burnt the victim’s clothes to destroy evidence and make the incident appear like a death caused by electric wires used by hunters to trap wild animals. However, the victim was still alive and was discovered by villagers early the next morning, who alerted police. The 4 accused were arrested on March 7 and produced before a court, which remanded them to judicial custody.