Overview
- Police say assailants intercepted two vehicles late Tuesday night, boxed a Fortuner SUV with tipper trucks, repeatedly rammed it and then the vehicle caught fire while occupants tried to flee.
- Three men died — including local BJP figure Bharat Singh (also called Lalla Singh) — and two others remain critically injured, with two deaths confirmed after hospital transfer.
- Authorities have arrested four suspects named as members of the rival Tripathi family and have filed FIRs naming several accused while searches continue for others.
- Investigators are awaiting forensic results to determine whether petrol or another accelerant was poured on the SUV or whether the blaze began because of the collision with an electricity pole.
- The attack grew out of a long-running local rivalry over sand‑mining contracts, truck routes and informal revenues, prompting calls from the victims’ family and opposition leaders for a CBI probe and increased police presence in the district.