In a horrifying incident in the Koriya district of Chhattisgarh, three men, including a BJP leader, were burnt alive inside a car, and several others were injured on Tuesday night (16th June) during a clash relating to an old dispute over sand mining operations. The deceased have been identified as Bharat Singh alias Lalla Singh (BJP leader and former Janpad Panchayat President), Virendra Pratap Singh, and Nagendra Singh.
An FIR was registered against several persons, out of whom four accused, namely Akshat Tripathi, Vishal Tripathi, Satyaprakash Tripathi and Mannu Tripathi, have been arrested by the police. Search is on for the remaining accused.
As per reports, the incident happened in Naugain village under the Sonhat police station limits, when Bharat Singh, accompanied by others, had gone to negotiate a settlement in a long-running dispute linked to sand quarry operations. According to police, Bharat Singh and others travelled to meet the rival faction in two vehicles, including a Toyota Fortuner SUV, following a phone conversation.
However, instead of negotiations, the SUV was reportedly intercepted, repeatedly hit by a light tipper truck and set on fire. Reports suggest that trucks were parked in front of and behind the SUV to prevent it from escaping. The collision damaged the vehicle and jammed its doors, preventing those inside from escaping.
Some eyewitnesses claimed that fuel was poured on the SUV before it was set ablaze. On the other hand, some reports suggest that the fire occurred due to the impact of the vehicle collision, and the SUV coming into contact with an electricity pole. None of the claims has been confirmed by the police. A forensic examination is being carried out to determine the cause of the fire.
Bharat Singh was burnt alive inside the vehicle, and Virendra Pratap Singh and Nagendra Singh succumbed to their injuries during medical treatment. The people accompanying the victims in the other vehicle were also brutally attacked and sustained serious injuries. One of the injured persons, Mayank Singh, is in a critical condition at Apollo Hospital in Bilaspur as he suffered severe injuries to his head and face.
After the incident, Surguja Range Inspector General Deepak Jha visited the site with local officials and reviewed the investigation. According to Additional Superintendent of Police Suresha Choubey, two rival groups, the Tripathi group and the Thakur group, were involved in a confrontation around 9:30 pm on the day of the incident, which led to the horrific incident. The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Sonhat SHO Vinod Paswan said that there was an old mining dispute between the two sides. He said that one faction was linked to Bharat Singh, who operated a crusher, while the other was associated with the Tripathi family. Several cases were registered in the past in connection with the dispute. The family of the victim has demanded a CBI inquiry.
