A 16-year-old Taekwondo player was brutally murdered over a 40-year-old land related dispute in Jaunpur.

The victim was identified as Anurag Yadav.

Anurag was brushing his teeth outside his house on Wednesday morning when his neighbours armed with a sword came there and attacked him. Anurag ran to save his life, but the assailants chased him and beheaded him with a single blow of the sword.

Hearing her son’s scream, Anurag’s mother ran outside, but it was too late. She fainted on seeing her son’s decapitated body.

After the incident, angry locals came out on the road and staged a protest. Police from several police stations were deployed in the area in view of the tension.

The police have arrested a retired sub-inspector and his son in connection with this sensational murder case.

The incident, the fallout of a land related dispute, was reported from Kabiruddinpur village under Gaurabadshahpur police station, about 10 kilometers from the district headquarters.

Anurag had recently won a silver medal in the Open National Taekwondo Competition held in Noida and a bronze medal in the Indo-Nepal International Taekwondo Competition. He was the only son among five sisters.

According to the village head, there was a dispute over a piece of land belonging to the village community for the past 40 years. A few days before the incident, Anurag had cut the grass growing on that land, due to which he had a dispute with retired sub-inspector Laalta Yadav and his son Ramesh Yadav. On Wednesday morning, while he was brushing his teeth, the father and son duo suddenly attacked and killed him.

Superintendent of Police Ajay Pal Sharma said, “The land dispute has been festering for 40 to 45 years. Two people from one of the parties, Ramesh and Laalta, were among those who attacked the opposite side and one person was killed. The district magistrate and I are at the spot. Some of the accused have been taken into custody and are being questioned. Further investigation is on.”

Jaunpur District Magistrate Dinesh Chandra said the people who committed the crime would be given the harshest-possible punishment. “This is an old land dispute between the two parties and it is also pending in the civil court. I have asked for a report on the dispute,” he said.