Love affair dispute turns fatal, 60-year-old man killed

Rajkot: A heated altercation over a love affair escalated into a fatal assault, resulting in the death of a 60-year-old man in Morbi on Thursday night.The deceased has been identified as Kashu Chadmiya. Based on complaints filed by both sides, Morbi City B Division Police Station has registered cases against a total of nine persons for rioting, assault and murder on Friday.According to the complaint lodged by Chadmiya's son Manoj, the incident stemmed from a dispute on the night of Jan 14, when Ajay Hathila allegedly told him about his romantic relationship with his sister, Geeta, and his intention to marry her. This led to a bitter verbal duel between the two sides.Manoj alleged that Hathila, along with Ajay Bhanubhai, Bunty Damor and Deepu Arjan, attacked him, his father and others by pelting stones and assaulting them with wooden sticks. He further stated that the four accused dragged his father and stabbed him in the thigh with a sharp weapon, causing his death.Based on this complaint, police registered a case under Sections 103(1), 115 and 125 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and other relevant provisions against the accused.Meanwhile, Hathila also filed a counter-complaint against Manoj, his now deceased father, his brother-in-law Dilip, his father-in-law Ghogha, and another relative.In his complaint, Ajay alleged that Manoj and his family members were sitting around a bonfire on January 14 when he went there with his friends and discussed his relationship and proposed marriage with Geeta. He alleged that Manoj and his relatives opposed the relationship and attacked him and his friends with wooden sticks, causing them serious injuries.Police said further investigation is underway to ascertain the exact sequence of events and individual roles in the crime.