A 52-year-old man, Barchandra Birhade, was brutally murdered in Jambrude village of Maharashtra's Thane district on Saturday morning, police reported. The daylight killing, which occurred in the village square, stemmed from a long-standing dispute between two factions within the community.
According to authorities, a group of five individuals attacked Birhade with an axe, resulting in his immediate death. Villagers who witnessed the gruesome incident alerted the police, who arrived at the scene and transported the body for a post-mortem examination.
Initial investigations reveal that the fatal attack was the culmination of months of escalating tension between two groups in the village. The victim's son holds the position of deputy sarpanch, while the accused are reportedly associated with the current female sarpanch, who has now also been named as an accused in the case.
The underlying conflict reportedly revolves around disagreements concerning the execution of development projects within the village and a series of Right to Information (RTI) applications filed by the victim's faction. These RTI queries were allegedly viewed as attempts to uncover irregularities, fueling the animosity between the two sides.
Police have apprehended one individual in connection with the murder and are currently searching for the remaining suspects who fled after the attack. Based on a complaint filed by the deceased's family, a case of murder has been registered under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).