Farmer beaten to death over land dispute in Bihar's Gopalganj

A farmer was allegedly beaten to death in Bihar's Gopalganj district over a land dispute, police said on Tuesday.

The incident happened on Sunday in Kurthia village in Vijaipur police station area when Ghanshyam Mishra and his brother Mantu were demarcating their plot for digging a pond, they said.

A group of people attacked them with lathis, killing Ghanshyam and injuring Mantu, they added.

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"Preliminary investigations have revealed that it is a case of land dispute. A group of people, armed with lathis and other blunt objects, thrashed the two brothers. After brutally beating them up, the accused fled the spot," Superintendent of Police Swarn Prabhat told PTI.

"Villagers immediately informed the police. The two brothers were taken to the hospital where Ghanshyam succumbed to his injuries. His brother is undergoing treatment there," he said.

A case was registered against 12 people and two of them were arrested, Prabhat said.

"We are also scrutinising the video of the incident that has gone viral on social media," he said.

Villagers claimed that Ghanshyam had written to the police on June 14, stating that there was a threat to his life but no action was taken.