Former BJP unit chief tries to stop clash, beaten to death

Lucknow: A traditional post-wedding ritual in Balrampur turned into a violent clash that claimed the life of a former village head and former BJP mandal president after two groups allegedly attacked each other with sticks, iron rods and chains in Parasrampur village.

The deceased was identified as Tej Bahadur Yadav, alias Babban Yadav (57), a former gram pradhan and former BJP mandal president, who was allegedly beaten to death while trying to intervene and stop the violence.

According to police and family members, the incident took place on Thursday morning during a customary ritual in which a newly married groom is taken around the village after the wedding ceremonies.

The victim’s wife, Sushila Devi, alleged that the ritual procession was being carried out by the wife of village resident Jaikaran alias Petbali for her son, who had recently got married. Several women from the family and village were accompanying the procession.

During the ritual, an argument reportedly broke out over an earlier dispute linked to a wedding procession held two days ago. According to villagers, the disagreement was related to a quarrel during the departure of the baraat on May 12, allegedly over DJ music arrangements.

Witnesses said the verbal spat between two women soon escalated into a heated confrontation, after which women from both sides allegedly began physically assaulting each other.

As tensions rose, Jaikaran’s wife allegedly called her relatives from Vishunpur Kharhana village for support. Villagers alleged that within a short time, several people arrived at the scene armed with lathis, iron rods and chains, leading to a full-scale violent clash between the two sides.

Residents said the village quickly descended into chaos as people ran for safety while groups allegedly attacked each other openly on the streets.

Hearing about the violence, Tej Bahadur Yadav rushed to the spot in an attempt to calm both sides and stop the fighting. However, family members alleged that the attackers mistook him for a member of the rival group and turned on him.

According to the complaint, the assailants allegedly assaulted him repeatedly with sticks and iron rods, targeting his head and upper body. He collapsed on the spot after suffering severe injuries.

Family members and villagers rushed him to the community health centre for treatment. Due to his critical condition, doctors referred him to Gonda for advanced treatment. However, doctors there declared him dead on arrival.

The incident triggered panic and tension in the village, with heavy police deployment made in the area to prevent further violence.

Police took custody of the body and sent it for postmortem examination.

Based on a complaint filed by Sushila Devi, police registered an FIR against Jaikaran, Ramdas Kashyap, Hajari, Rinku Kashyap and two others under charges including murder and rioting.

Additional SP, Balrampur, Vishal Pandey said police have detained four accused for questioning while raids are underway to arrest the remaining suspects.

Police officials said preliminary investigation suggests the violence may have stemmed from lingering tensions during the wedding celebrations held earlier this week, which escalated dramatically during Thursday’s traditional village procession ritual.