Koriya, Chhattisgarh: Three people, including BJP leader Bharat Singh alias Lalla Singh, were burnt to death after their SUV was set ablaze amid a long‑running dispute over sand mining in Koriya district, Chhattisgarh, police said.
The attack occurred late on Tuesday night at Naugain village under the Sonhat police station area. Family members said Singh had arrived to hold talks aimed at settling a conflict over sand quarry operations but was ambushed instead. Investigators say the Fortuner in which he and others were travelling was allegedly blocked between tipper trucks on both sides, doused with petrol and set on fire.
Bharat Singh died inside the burning vehicle. Two others — Virendra Singh, who succumbed while receiving medical treatment, and Nagendra Singh, a teacher and Singh’s cousin — also lost their lives. A fifth person, Mayank Singh, is being treated at Apollo Hospital in Bilaspur with severe head and facial injuries and is in critical condition.
Police have arrested four people in connection with the incident. They have been identified as Akshat Tripathi, Vishal Tripathi, Satyaprakash Tripathi and Mannu Tripathi. Police have named a total of nine suspects in the case. “Charges include murder and attempted murder,” as reported by NDTV reported. Police are on the lookout for the remaining accused, some of whom have switched off their mobile phones.
Locals say the violence escalated from months of tension over control of sand extraction, transport and alleged illegal collections from quarries across Sonhat, Kailashpur, Telimuda, Beliya and Chhingura. The Tripathi family, which owns tipper trucks used to move sand to Baikunthpur, has been locked in a rivalry with the Thakur faction linked to Bharat Singh, according to neighbours.
Additional Superintendent of Police Suresha Chaubey said preliminary inquiries indicate the incident stemmed from the longstanding mining dispute. She added that members of the Thakur family reached the site between 9.30 pm and 10 pm, after which an altercation and assault occurred and the Fortuner caught fire.
Police said cases had been registered earlier between the two groups and that illegal mining, halted previously through Singh’s intervention, had recently resumed.
The killings have raised tensions across the district and prompted deployment of additional police forces.
Singh’s family has demanded a CBI probe, alleging the attack was carefully planned. Local MLA Bhaiyalal Rajwade described the episode as unprecedented in Koriya’s history and said the precise reasons for such a horrific escalation would become clear only after a detailed investigation.
