Chhattisgarh: Son Arrested for Killing Father in Surguja Village

Police in Chhattisgarh have arrested a 50-year-old man for allegedly killing his 70-year-old father in Surguja district. The murder followed a bitter dispute linked to an inter-caste marriage and the fear of being socially excluded by the village community.

The killing happened on Friday in Puta village, located in the Udaipur police station area of Surguja. The victim, Maninath Majhwar, was beaten to death by his son, Parwal Ram. Police later took the accused into custody.

The background to the crime lies in the accused's recent marriage to another woman, whom he brought to live in the household. The elderly victim was worried that the community would respond by enforcing a social boycott and stopping the family from taking part in local customs, including the sharing of hukka-pani. This anxiety had been the cause of frequent quarrels between the two men.

The situation turned fatal on Friday evening after another fight. The father used abusive language, which enraged his son. The accused then assaulted him brutally with his fists. The injuries proved fatal, and the victim died on the spot.

The victim's wife had stepped out of the house at the time and was not present during the attack. On her return in the evening, she found her husband's lifeless, blood-stained body lying in the courtyard. Her cries alerted the neighborhood, and villagers assembled outside the home. Meanwhile, the accused had fled the village with his wife.

At around 9 pm, Nandaram, husband of the Puta sarpanch, alerted the police. Officers arrived, inspected the scene, and began investigating the case. The body was sent for postmortem examination.

To capture the fugitive son, police carried out a cordon operation and eventually arrested him from Jaynagar in Surajpur. In questioning, the accused reportedly confessed to the murder. He was produced before the court and sent to judicial custody.

The case has drawn attention to how deeply rooted social pressures and fear of community rejection can escalate into violence within families in rural Chhattisgarh.