Man killed after accidental stabbing during Shivaratri procession in Beed

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: A 23-year-old man was killed after he was mistakenly stabbed by his friend during a Mahashivaratri palki (palanquin) procession at Rui Nalkol village in Beed's Ashti taluka on Sunday night, the police said.The clash resulted from an earlier dispute over Instagram content that divided village youths into two groups, the police added.The deceased, Dipak Nalkol (23), a resident of Rui Nalkol, worked with a private company in Jalgaon and had returned to the village with his friend Nilesh Gujar (25) to attend the Mahashivaratri procession.The police said that three days prior to the incident, a dispute erupted between Bhausaheb Khodke and Jaydeep Khilare over an Instagram post and comments. Though the issue was settled within the village, tensions persisted, and two factions emerged.On Sunday, around 9pm, while the procession was underway, members of the rival groups allegedly confronted each other, leading to a scuffle. During the altercation, Nilesh Gujar allegedly attempted to attack Balu Khodke with a knife. In the melee, Dipak Nalkol was accidentally struck by the knife and sustained serious injuries."As per the preliminary probe, the deceased was not the intended target. He appears to have been stabbed inadvertently while the accused was attacking another person," Beed superintendent of police Navneet Kanwat told TOI.Police said that after Dipak was injured, Gujar dropped the knife. The second accused, identified as Dashrath Masalkar, allegedly picked up the knife and assaulted Balu Khodke and Shashikant Lombde, causing injuries to their thigh and hands.All the injured were taken to a hospital in Ahmednagar for treatment. However, Dipak Nalkol succumbed to his injuries and was declared dead by doctors. The condition of the two other injured persons is stated to be stable.Kanwat said an FIR was registered at the Ashti police station under BNS sections 103(1), 109, 352, 351(2) and 3(5). "Both accused were arrested, and further investigation is underway," he said.Additional police personnel have been deployed in the village to prevent any further untoward incidents.