Six killed in brutal firing over land dispute in Vijayapura village

Vijayapura: In a shocking incident that has once again brought back memories of violent feuds in the Bhima river belt, six people were brutally murdered over a land dispute in Govindapura village of Chadachan taluk in Vijayapura district on Friday, May 29.

The victims have been identified as Revanasiddappa Nirale, Dundappa Revanasiddappa Nirale, Shivaputra Revanasiddappa Nirale, Chandrashekhar Nirale, Shabbir Nadaf and another person. According to police sources, the victims were first attacked with deadly weapons and later shot dead by the assailants.

Preliminary investigation revealed that a long-standing dispute over agricultural land was ongoing between the families of Appugouda Patil and Revanasiddappa Nirale. The tension between the two families had reportedly intensified over the past few months.

Sources said that a community-level mediation meeting, or “Nyaya Panchayati”, had recently been conducted in an attempt to settle the dispute amicably. On Thursday, members of the Nirale family and others had reportedly gone again for discussions related to the same land issue when the attack took place.

During the meeting, a group allegedly launched a sudden and violent assault on the Nirale family members and their associates. The attackers are said to have used sharp weapons before opening fire at close range, leaving six people dead on the spot.

The gruesome killings created panic in the village, with residents rushing indoors after hearing gunshots. Senior police officials immediately rushed to the spot after receiving information about the incident.

Police have cordoned off the area and launched a massive operation to trace the accused involved in the massacre. Additional police forces have been deployed in and around the village to prevent any further violence and maintain law and order.

The bodies were shifted for postmortem examination, while forensic teams collected evidence from the crime scene. Officials suspect that the murders were pre-planned and carried out as part of a revenge attack linked to the land feud.

The incident occurred within the limits of Chadachan Police Station. A case has been registered, and further investigation is underway. The brutal killings have sent shockwaves across Vijayapura district and raised concerns over increasing violence related to property disputes in rural areas of Karnataka.