Jaipur: The murder of 22-year-old Vipin Kumar has shocked the local community and shed light on a troubling saga of violence that had been brewing for months.Kumar’s death is being attributed to an ongoing feud with 24-year-old Mohammad Anas, a known troublemaker in the area, according to the local police.Around 9pm Sunday, Kumar returned home from a grocery store where he worked. Shortly thereafter, Anas approached him with a seemingly friendly demeanour, draping his arm around Kumar’s neck and inviting him for a walk.“He said they would be back in a minute,” recounted Sarvesh, one of Kumar’s five sisters, who had long feared that Anas might have ulterior motives.Within minutes, a chilling scream pierced the night, drawing the attention of Kumar’s family. His sister Lakshmi recalled, “My sister Machalla heard them first,” and the family rushed outside to witness a horrific scene.Eyewitnesses said Anas and a group of accomplices cornered Kumar, dragging him towards a parked car. Machalla described the ordeal, “Anas stabbed him again and again. He was limp by the time I reached.”Despite attempts to flee, Kumar was overpowered. Locals said he was stabbed multiple times by Anas, who fled the scene thereafter. Kumar collapsed in his sister Machalla’s arms and was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.Kumar’s family and friends expressed disbelief at Anas’s recent gestures of reconciliation, labelling them a facade. “It was a sham,” said Deepak Tiloniya, a friend of the victim.Local police said the two men had a history of conflict, including a past incident where Anas vandalised the shop where Kumar worked, leading to an FIR against him, following which police arrested Anas for rioting and paraded him through the locality. Anas blamed Vipin for this. Anas, who had previously lived in Paldi Meena before relocating to Bhatta Basti eight months ago, is described as a history-sheeter with multiple offences reported at Jamdoli police station, including stalking and vandalism. Community members recalled that Anas had instilled fear in the neighbourhood.While some protesters speculated that the murder had communal undertones, Jaipur police commissioner Biju George Joseph dismissed those claims. “We have a lead suggesting a personal dispute. The investigation is ongoing and we’ll confirm the motive only when verified,” he said.The roots of the conflict reportedly trace back two years to an incident involving a goat belonging to Kumar’s family. One sister recalled that the tension began two years ago, when Kumar’s goat strayed into Anas’s lane. Friends of Kumar said a possible dispute over a girl may have played a role. Police said this claim surfaced during early questioning but was unconfirmed.
