Man gets life term for brutally killing friend over dispute in UP's Bhadohi

Bhadohi (UP), Oct 30 (PTI) The district court in Uttar Pradesh's Bhadohi sentenced a man to life imprisonment on Thursday for the brutal murder of his friend following a quarrel over the construction of a road in their village, terming the incident "rarest of rare".

Assistant government counsel Pravesh Kumar Tiwari said Additional District and Sessions Judge Pushpa Singh has convicted Suryabhan Singh alias Bhullar (29) for killing his friend, Manish Singh (30), with an axe and also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on him.

According to police, the incident took place on November 20, 2023 in Inar village under the Koirouna police station, where the mutilated body of the victim was found near the Brahma Baba temple.

The victim's father, Bansh Raj Singh, submitted a police complaint against an unidentified person, following which a case under section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered.

During investigation, CCTV footage surfaced showing both men riding a bicycle together, shortly before the murder.

Upon interrogation, Suryabhan Singh confessed to killing his friend after an argument that stemmed from opposition from the victim's father to the ongoing road construction in the village.

The convict allegedly plied the victim with liquor, before attacking him repeatedly with an axe. Police seized the victim's bicycle, the footwear of both men and the murder weapon from the spot.

A chargesheet was later filed, naming Suryabhan Singh as the accused.

After examining the evidence and hearing both sides, the court held the crime as a "rarest of rare" one and sentenced the accused to life imprisonment, Tiwari said. PTI COR ABN RC