Sushil Modi denies Darbhanga beheading was over naming chowk after PM Modi, says it was a land dispute

A mob of around 40 people beheaded a septuagenarian and left his son grievously injured in Bihar's Darbhanga district late on Thursday. While family members alleged it was a fallout resulting from the naming of a town square after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, police said the murder was the outcome of a property dispute.

Ram Chandra Yadav, 71, was the father of a panchayat-level BJP leader, Tej Narayan Yadav.

Speaking to media persons, Narayan claimed that some people were unhappy over his initiative to name a local chowk after PM Modi in 2016. "They wanted the thoroughfare to be named after RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav. My father tried to broker peace, but he was murdered.

"It is totally false that he was murdered over the naming of a chowk. It is a case of land dispute. The Modi chowk board was put up long back," said Sushil Kumar Modi, deputy Chief Minister of Bihar.

The police said they have taken some suspects into custody and are investigating the case. BJP supporters staged demonstrations in Darbhanga, demanding the arrest of those involved in the murder.