A murder in Chhattisgarh’s Jashpur district left residents shocked on Tuesday morning after a man allegedly hacked his mother to death with an axe and then sat beside her body for hours, singing and playing with sand.
The incident took place around 5 am in Bendrerbhadra settlement of Kunkuri, where locals reported seeing the accused, identified as Jeet Ram Yadav, strike his mother, Gulabai, repeatedly until she died on the spot, Times of India reported.
Family members and neighbours raised the alarm, but no one approached as Yadav swung the axe at anyone nearby. By the time Kunkuri police arrived, hundreds of locals had gathered outside the house.
Jashpur Superintendent of Police Shashimohan Singh said that the exact cause of the incident is not yet known, but prima facie, Yadav appears to suffer from an unstable mind, the report added.
Police officers initially hesitated to enter as Yadav’s aggression escalated and he continued brandishing the axe. It took nearly four hours of negotiations, planning, and coordination before a police team took him into custody, the SP added.
Family members told mediapersons that Yadav’s mental health had deteriorated over the past two years, and he had been receiving treatment from traditional healers, locally known as baigas.
Police confirmed that a case has been registered, and a thorough investigation is underway to determine why Yadav took such a violent step.
Earlier in April, a 15-year-old girl allegedly attacked and killed her father with an axe in Jashpur district over his frequent drunkenness and quarrels with her mother.
The incident took place in a village under the Bagbahar police station limits on April 21, and the girl was detained in connection with the case.
Police received information on April 22 that a 50-year-old man had been found dead at his home, his body lying on a cot.
During the investigation, the teenager revealed that her father’s regular alcohol consumption and fights with her and her mother had led to tension, which reportedly triggered the attack.