A tragic incident unfolded in Pakan village, Fazilka district, on Thursday evening, where a farmer and his son were allegedly murdered by their neighbors following an argument over the irrigation of a field.
The police have arrested one suspect and are searching for three others involved in the crime.
The victims, Avtar Singh (58) and his son Harmeet Singh (28), were attacked while irrigating a field they had leased from Hardeep Kaur of Chuhar village, Ludhiana.
Avtar, a marginal farmer owning approximately 2.5 acres, and his son were managing nine acres of contracted land.
The confrontation occurred when Palwinder Singh, along with his brothers Balveer Singh and Raghbir Singh, and Balveer’s son Anmol Singh, allegedly intervened during their scheduled irrigation time.
According to Sarabjit Kaur, Avtar’s wife, she arrived at the field around 4:30 p.m. to find four men confronting her husband and son. Palwinder Singh was reportedly armed with a weapon, while the others wielded spades.
In a violent escalation, Palwinder opened fire on Avtar and Harmeet, and the other men attacked them with spades. The assailants fled the scene after the attack.
The victims were rushed to a hospital but were pronounced dead on arrival.
A First Information Report (FIR) has been filed against the accused under murder charges and the Arms Act. Anmol Singh has been apprehended, while raids are underway to locate the remaining suspects.
Sources indicate that the dispute originated from accusations that Avtar and Harmeet were using water from an unauthorized channel for their fields.
Palwinder Singh and his family, who previously managed the land, allegedly resented the contract change to Avtar and frequently sought reasons for conflict.
Tensions had escalated over attempts to alter land records, which contributed to the contractual shift.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Jalalabad, Achru Sharma, confirmed that the assailants used two weapons, including a .315 bore gun, during the attack.
A thorough investigation is underway, and police have launched a manhunt to apprehend the perpetrators.
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