Jagraon: A day that began with a postponed court hearing ended in tragedy on the roads of Jagraon. A long-standing land dispute between two brothers has taken a fatal turn in Ludhiana’s Jagraon area, with a man now accused of causing the death of his elder sibling in a suspected targeted road collision.Police have booked Balveer Singh of Malla village for causing death by negligence. However, the family of the deceased, Jasveer Singh, is refusing to allow a post-mortem examination, demanding that the charges be upgraded to murder.A 15-year feudThe roots of the tragedy trace back to 2011. Sukhwant Kaur, the victim’s wife, claims that the brothers had been embroiled in a bitter legal battle over ancestral land that remains pending in the Ludhiana civil court. The fatal incident occurred on March 7. Jasveer had traveled to Ludhiana for a court hearing, which was ultimately postponed due to a lawyers’ strike. He was returning to his village on a scooter when he was allegedly struck from behind.Deathbed statementBefore succumbing to his injuries at a private hospital in Jagraon, Jasveer reportedly identified his brother as the driver who hit him. The victim claimed Balveer had been trailing him in a vehicle and had struck his scooter intentionally. The force of the collision sent Jasveer’s scooter into a roadside signboard, causing severe internal injuries. “My brother-in-law has killed my husband by staging an accident due to an old rivalry,” Sukhwant Kaur alleged in her police complaint.Legal deadlockThe Sarabha Nagar police have registered a case under Section 106 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertains to causing death by negligence. The investigating officer, ASI Sulakhan Singh, has confirmed that the accused is currently at large. However, a standoff has emerged between the authorities and the victim’s family. The kin are currently blocking the post-mortem process, insisting that the police register a formal murder case instead of a negligence charge.
