A minor altercation over muddy water splashing from a moving vehicle allegedly turned fatal in Nangal Lubana village under Bhulath subdivision of Kapurthala district, where a 38-year-old man was allegedly attacked with sharp-edged weapons by four youths. Police have rounded up all four accused and initiated further legal proceedings following the registration of an FIR on the complaint of the victim’s father.

According to the complaint lodged at Begowal Police Station by Bhajan Singh, a farmer from Begowal, his son Gurmeet Singh, 38, who assisted him in farming, was standing outside his house in Nangal Lubana along with his nephew Harpreet Singh at around 8 pm on July 15 when a black SUV sped through a waterlogged stretch of road, splashing muddy water on Gurmeet’s clothes.

The complainant stated that Gurmeet stopped the vehicle, following which its driver, Sameer alias Sam of Dala village in Bhulath, and co-passenger Satwinderjit Singh alias Gaurav of Raipur Pir Bakhsh village got out of the vehicle. The two allegedly argued with Gurmeet and left the spot after issuing threats. Harpreet Singh was acquainted with both of them, the complaint added.

About an hour later, at around 9 pm, Bhajan Singh, Gurmeet Singh and Harpreet Singh were standing at Mundi Road Adda. Bhajan Singh said he asked his son and nephew to fetch fuel for an irrigation engine from a nearby petrol pump, while he returned home. Shortly afterwards, the same car allegedly returned from the Begowal side carrying four occupants. According to the FIR, three of them were armed with sharp-edged weapons, while the fourth was unarmed.

The complainant alleged that the four accused immediately surrounded Gurmeet Singh and launched a brutal assault on him. Harpreet Singh rushed to inform Bhajan Singh, identifying the attackers as Sameer alias Sam, Satwinderjit Singh alias Gaurav, Manjot Singh alias Manu of Pandori Rajputan village, and Jaswinder Singh alias Karan of Dala village.

When Bhajan Singh reached the scene, he alleged that Sameer, Gaurav and Manu were repeatedly attacking his son with sharp-edged weapons, while Karan was pelting him with bricks and stones as he lay critically injured on the ground. The attackers fled towards Nadala in the same vehicle after the complainant and his nephew raised an alarm.

The grievously injured Gurmeet Singh was first taken to a private hospital in Begowal and later referred to the Civil Hospital at Bhulath due to his critical condition. He was subsequently shifted to a private hospital in Jalandhar, where doctors declared him dead.

Bhajan Singh informed police that his son’s body had been kept at the mortuary in Mansurwal, Kapurthala, for a postmortem.

Begowal Police have registered a murder case and other relevant offences against the four named accused based on the father’s statement. Confirming the development, DSP Gagandeep Singh said all four accused had been rounded up and further investigation into the case was underway.