Ramgarh (Jharkhand), June 30 (IANS) Jharkhand’s Giridih district Sub-Registrar Baleshwar Patel was killed on Tuesday in Ramgarh district in a violent attack said to be linked to a land dispute, officials said.

The incident took place in Balsagara village under the Mandu police station area and has triggered widespread shock in the area.

According to preliminary information, Patel had come to his ancestral village on Hul Diwas, which is a holiday in Jharkhand.

On Tuesday morning, he reportedly went to a piece of land where a dispute had been ongoing. During this visit, he became involved in an argument with some individuals over the issue.

Eyewitness accounts suggest that the argument soon escalated into violence. The assailants allegedly attacked Patel with stones, inflicting serious injuries.

Local residents informed the police, who rushed to the spot, but Patel had succumbed to his injuries by the time they arrived.

Following the incident, the Mandu police visited the crime scene and began collecting evidence. The body has been taken into custody and sent for a post-mortem examination.

Police teams are also questioning local residents to identify the suspects and reconstruct the sequence of events.

Initial investigations indicate that the murder was primarily driven by the land dispute. However, police officials have stated that all possible angles are being probed and that no final conclusion will be drawn until the investigation is complete.

Officials of the Ramgarh police said that efforts are underway to identify the accused persons and that raids have been launched to apprehend them.

They expressed confidence that the case will be solved soon and the culprits brought to justice.

The killing of a gazetted officer in broad daylight has sent shockwaves through the administrative machinery as well.

The incident has raised serious concerns regarding law and order in the region, particularly in the context of recurring land disputes, which continue to be a major source of conflict in several parts of Jharkhand.

–IANS

snc/skp/vd