Man, nephew hacked to death over land dispute

Rajkot: A long-standing land dispute turned deadly in Morbi district on Tuesday night when a 40-year-old man and his 22-year-old nephew were allegedly hacked to death with sharp weapons in Meghpar Zala village of Tankara taluka.

The deceased were identified as Jaypalsinh Zala and his nephew, Harshvardhansinh Zala. The attack occurred at a farm owned by Harshvardhansinh's father, Digvijaysinh Zala, on the outskirts of the village.

According to a complaint lodged by Digvijaysinh at Tankara police station, he was supervising the measurement of his land and the installation of boundary markers when two neighbouring farmers, brothers Mahavirsinh Zala and Tejpalsinh Zala, arrived at the site. The accused allegedly own an adjoining agricultural plot.

Police said an argument broke out over the land boundary, which quickly escalated into violence. The two brothers allegedly attacked Jaypalsinh and Harshvardhansinh with knife-like sharp weapons, inflicting multiple blows on various parts of their bodies.

After the assault, the accused allegedly fled the scene on a motorcycle.

Family members rushed the injured men to Tankara govt hospital with the help of an ambulance service, but doctors declared both victims dead on arrival.

Based on the complaint, police registered a case against the two accused under Section 103(1), Section 3(5) and other relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Investigating officer JD Zala said preliminary findings indicate that each victim sustained more than seven injuries caused by a sharp weapon. He added that police detained both accused within hours of the crime and launched efforts to recover the weapon allegedly used in the murders.

Initial police inquiries also revealed that Jaypalsinh Zala was serving as the BJP vice-president of Tankara taluka, adding a political dimension to the high-profile double murder case.