A 35-year-old man, identified as Kalu Solanki Bhil, was brutally murdered by his four younger brothers on Monday (October 27) night in Shambhoopura village under Kalinjara police station in Rajasthan’s Banswara district. The attack, carried out with sticks and an axe, reportedly followed a heated dispute.
While the victim’s wives alleged that the brothers had been pressuring Kalu to visit a church and meet a pastor, police have rejected claims of any religious or conversion-related motive, stating that “there is no church in the village.”
According to CI Vikram Singh of Kalinjara police, officers received a report around 8 p.m. on Monday about a violent fight in the village.
“On reaching the spot, we found Kalu Solanki Bhil severely injured. He was rushed to the hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries during treatment,” Singh said.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the Solanki Bhil family consists of six brothers, Kalu, Kamlesh, Vinod, Rakesh, Ravindra, and Ditesh. Kalu and Kamlesh were on one side of the long-standing dispute, while the four younger brothers formed the other.
Police said that the family feud began during Diwali celebrations, and tensions escalated in the days following.
“Initial findings suggest that an argument took place among the brothers during Diwali. The matter intensified on Monday night, leading to the fatal assault,” said CI Singh.
Authorities added that claims about a church dispute are untrue, emphasising that no church exists in the area.
The body has been sent for post-mortem examination, and the remains have since been handed over to the family. Police forces have been deployed in the area as a precaution.
The victim’s brother, Kamlesh Solanki, lodged an FIR accusing his four younger brothers, Vinod, Rakesh, Ravindra, and Ditesh, of killing Kalu.
Kamlesh said, “All of us work as labourers in Surat and had come home for Diwali. There was a family argument that night. On Monday, my brothers attacked Kalu with sticks and an axe, killing him.”
Police have registered a case of murder and begun questioning the accused family members.
Outside the mortuary, Kalu’s first wife, Jeevi, made a sensational claim, alleging that the four brothers were forcing her husband to go to a church and meet a pastor.
“They used to say, ‘You have to come with us, or we’ll kill you.’ On Monday night, they came to take him by force, carrying weapons. They said, ‘We go to church, and you must come too,’” she alleged.
Kalu’s second wife, Mangli, supported the claim, saying her husband had been resisting religious pressure from his siblings.
However, police and even Kamlesh, Kalu’s surviving brother, have dismissed the church-related allegations, maintaining that the killing stemmed from a domestic conflict.
The deceased Kalu Solanki is survived by two wives and four children, three with his first wife Jeevi (one son and two daughters) and one son with his second wife, Mangli.
Kalinjara police have registered a murder case based on the family’s complaint and initiated a detailed investigation.
“While we are looking into every angle, preliminary evidence suggests this was a case of family discord, not religious coercion,” CI Vikram Singh said.
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