Neighbourhood dispute turns deadly in Gujarat village; man burnt alive
AHMEDABAD: A petty dispute over sitting outside a house escalated into a brutal murder in Gujarat’s Gandhidham, where a middle-aged man was allegedly chased, doused with diesel and set on fire by his neighbours.
The incident occurred in Satrahajjar Jhunpada, where what began as a routine neighbourhood quarrel spiralled into violence that police have described as “inhuman”. According to investigators, the victim was burned alive inside his own bathroom.
The deceased, Karshanbhai Maheshwari, lived with his elderly mother and was unmarried. In a complaint lodged by his elder brother Hirabhai Dadubhai Maheshwari at the Gandhidham B-Division Police Station, it was stated that there had been earlier tensions with neighbours over trivial issues. On Friday afternoon, those disputes allegedly erupted into lethal violence.
In a dying declaration recorded before the Mamlatdar, Karshanbhai detailed the sequence of events. He said several neighbouring women, along with an unidentified man, first caught hold of him and assaulted him. Fearing for his life, he ran and locked himself inside the bathroom.
The attackers allegedly followed him, broke open the door, poured diesel over his body and set him on fire. The bathroom turned into a death trap as flames engulfed the confined space. Critically injured, Karshanbhai was rushed to Rambagh Hospital in Adipur and later shifted to G.K. General Hospital in Bhuj, where he died on Saturday morning.
Following his death, police converted the case from assault to murder.
Based on the complaint and the dying declaration, police registered a murder case against Premilaben Nareshbhai, Ajuben Hareshbhai, Manjuben Lahiri and an unidentified male accomplice. All the named accused have been arrested. Police said the investigation is focusing on reconstructing the sequence of events and determining the exact role of each accused.
“The brutality of the act cannot be ignored,” a police officer said, adding that the evidence points to a violent and deliberate attack triggered by a personal dispute.
The incident has triggered fear and outrage in Satrahajjar Jhunpada, while the Maheshwari family remains in shock over how a minor argument escalated into a killing that has shaken the entire community.