New Delhi, 24 June 2011: Angry villagers near Gurgaon tried to burn a man alive for killing a village sarpanch. The man died in the hospital, but police said that the absconding assailants are part of a criminal gang.
A 45-year-old sarpanch of Hyatpur village near Gurgaon was shot dead by a group of men. The incident enraged the villagers who caught one of the assailants and set him on fire while the others managed to escape.
Alok Mittal, Joint CP Gurgaon, said, "The villagers caught an assailant, beat him and tried to burn him alive. The police took him to the hospital but he died there."
Police said that the assailants belong to a group headed by a notorious criminal named Rakesh who had even made an attempt to kill the sarpanch earlier this month. In fact the local police had registered a case against Rakesh and were looking for him.
According to the residents of Hyatpur, the two groups recently had a fight over the use of a borewell. Following the incident the police resorted to lathi charge to control the crowds. Security has been stepped up in the village, though no arrests have been made so far.