Three people, including two businessman brothers, were killed and another was critically injured after a dispute over ₹20-22 lakh in donations collected by a local Ramleela committee escalated into firing in Pilibhit’s Amaria town on Monday night, police said. Eight suspects have been detained for questioning.
Pilibhit superintendent of police (SP) Sukirti Madhav Mishra said police recovered a licensed rifle belonging to Santosh Gupta, an illegal country-made pistol and sticks allegedly used in the clash. A forensic team examined the scene, and police personnel were deployed in Amaria to maintain law and order.
The deceased were identified as Mohit Gupta, 38, a bullion trader; his younger brother Ankit Gupta, 30, who ran a hardware business; and Kunal Srivastava, 18, who worked at a local book depot. Their relative, Rose Gupta, 20, also a bullion trader, was critically injured and is undergoing treatment in Bareilly.
Police have arrested the main accused, Kaushal Gupta, and two others, and also recovered firearms and sticks from them, officials said
According to a police official privy to the investigation, the incident took place around 9:30 pm when Mohit and Ankit, accompanied by associates, reached the house of Kaushal Gupta, a member of the local Ramleela committee, to confront his family over the dispute. The two families lived barely 200 metres apart in the same lane. Kaushal runs a clothing shop from his house, while Santosh is a bullion trader.
The argument escalated into a physical altercation and firing, with sticks also allegedly used in the assault. Ankit and Kunal were declared dead at a hospital, while Mohit was referred to Bareilly for advanced treatment, where he died around 11 pm. Kunal was passing through the area when he was hit by a bullet.
The clash stemmed from a long-running dispute between the families of Kaushal Gupta and Chandra Prakash Gupta over accounts of ₹20-22 lakh in donations collected by the committee, which organises the annual Ramleela celebrations in Amaria. Kaushal is a committee member, while Chandra Prakash’s son, Suraj Gupta, is the committee president and runs a steel and cement business.
The dispute intensified at a committee meeting on October 9, when Kaushal allegedly sought an account of donations collected over the previous four years. An argument followed, but those present managed to defuse the situation. The two sides confronted each other again at a town function around 6 pm on Monday. Locals intervened and separated them, but tensions flared later that night when Mohit and Ankit reached Kaushal’s house with their associates.
According to police, Kaushal allegedly opened fire along with his brother Harshit, uncle Santosh Gupta and other family members. Ankit and Mohit were shot, while Rose and Kunal were also injured. Police are investigating the sequence of events and the individual roles of those involved in the firing.
Ankit had married Khushboo three years ago, while Mohit had married Neha 10 years ago. Neither had children. Their eldest brother, Rohit, is now the only surviving brother in the family. He and his wife, Shivani, have a one-year-old son.
