A decades-old land dispute in Bihar's Buxar district erupted into fatal violence on Wednesday, resulting in the death of a 45-year-old farmer and leaving three others with serious injuries. The tragic incident unfolded in Bhakhwa village, under the jurisdiction of the Sikraul police station, when rival family members clashed over harvesting rights on a contested plot of land.
Roots of the Conflict: A Three-Decade Feud
The violence is the latest chapter in a bitter conflict that has spanned more than 30 years between the families of Kanhaiya Chaubey and Sanjay Chaubey. Local villagers revealed that the dispute over the four bighas of land has been a persistent source of tension. The long-running feud has a history of bloodshed; about three decades ago, Shiv Shankar Chaubey was also shot dead in connection with the same land issue.
The Fatal Confrontation
According to police sources, the situation escalated when a group including Badak Chaubey, Kanhaiya Chaubey, Ganesh Chaubey, Baliram Chaubey, and Vidyasagar Chaubey arrived at the field to harvest the paddy crop. Kanhaiya Chaubey and Badak Chaubey had recently been released from jail after serving sentences related to this very dispute. Sanjay Chaubey and his supporters confronted them, insisting that any harvesting must wait until district administration officials were present, citing a court verdict in his favour.
What began as a heated argument quickly spiralled out of control. The accused group allegedly opened fire and launched a brutal attack using sticks and clubs. Sanjay Chaubey sustained critical bullet wounds and was rushed to the Buxar Sadar Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead. Three other individuals—Dhananjay Chaubey, Daroga Chaubey, and Mohan Chaubey—suffered severe head injuries during the assault and are currently receiving treatment at the same hospital.
Police Response and Ongoing Investigation
Buxar Superintendent of Police Shubham Arya confirmed that the police have launched a comprehensive investigation into the incident. Raids are currently being conducted to locate and arrest the accused individuals. The police are piecing together the sequence of events that led to the deadly clash in a village all too familiar with the consequences of this protracted land dispute.
This incident highlights the often-volatile nature of unresolved land conflicts in rural India, where legal battles can span generations and sometimes end in tragedy. The community in Bhakhwa village now awaits justice as authorities work to bring the perpetrators to account.
