Man beaten to death after he claims he ‘killed’ child, police say kid’s killer was held in 2019

RAIPUR: In a strange twist of fate, a 45-year-old man – who in an inebriated state "admitted" to a relative's family that he had "killed" a minor boy of the household – was stripped and beaten to death in a village in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday, even as the police said a juvenile was found guilty of the murder in 2019 and sent to a "correction home.

"Infuriated by his statement, residents of Darrabhatha village in Sakti district of the state caught hold of him, paraded him naked and abused him with sticks, rods and kicks, leading to his death.The victim, Surve Das Mahant, who had 12 cases of preventive crime recorded against him, had picked up a fight with some women in the village in an inebriated condition.The deceased's son, 22, sustained severe head injuries when he tried to intervene and save his father.The village wore a deserted look on Tuesday, as police combed for assaulters and arrested nine persons. They were charged with murder.Bilaspur range IGP Sanjeev Shukla told TOI, "The victim was drunk when he visited the family on Sunday evening and picked up a fight with the women members over drawing water from his borewell. He also accused them of not voting for him in the panchayat elections despite being his relatives."

"The situation went out of control when he referred to the murder of the minor – a six-year-old boy -- from the household in 2019, saying ‘I was the one who did it'. This enraged the family members and villagers who had gathered there, leading to Mahant's death," Shukla said.Sakti SP Ankita Sharma said Mahant had bailable criminal cases on him, including indulging in drunken brawls, threatening people and cheating. "The mob was aggressive, and a police patrolling party located about 30 minutes away was called to the scene. Officers managed to calm the crowd and take the injured man to hospital but could not be saved," Sharma said.The victim's wife, Kanti Mahant, alleged that police arrived after the assault and it took them a while to take the victim and his son out of the mob's clutches.