UP Shocker: 52-Year-Old Man Dragged, Hacked To Death At Funeral Feast

A 52-year-old man was brutally hacked to death at a funeral feast in a Gorakhpur village, in Uttar Pradesh with police suspecting the murder may have been driven by an old vendetta stemming from the killing of a relative of the accused last year. The victim, Shivkumar Tripathi, was attending a ‘brahm bhoj’ (funeral feast) in Ahirauli village under the Sikriganj police station area on Saturday evening when he was allegedly ambushed from behind by fellow villager Rahul Chaudhary, who attacked him with a ‘banka’ (cleaver).

Eyewitnesses said Tripathi suffered severe injuries and collapsed at the scene. Villagers immediately placed him in an autorickshaw and attempted to rush him to a hospital. However, police said Rahul and his brother Rohit allegedly intercepted the vehicle while it was on its way.

Despite attempts by locals to stop them, the two brothers allegedly dragged the injured Tripathi out of the autorickshaw and pulled him for nearly 200 metres. They then allegedly attacked him repeatedly with swords, leaving him dead at the spot.

Preliminary police investigation points towards a possible revenge motive. It is suspected the attack could have been carried out in retaliation for the killing of Rahul’s cousin, Adesh Chaudhary, around a year ago.

According to villagers, Adesh was murdered in 2024, and some members of Tripathi’s extended family were named as accused in that case. Police are now probing whether the earlier murder triggered the deadly attack on Saturday.

Superintendent of Police (South) Dinesh Kumar Puri said on Sunday that a case had been registered in connection with the killing. Three named accused and seven others have been detained for questioning as investigators work to establish the exact motive and determine whether others were involved.

Tripathi worked as a contractor with the electricity department. His son, Aditya Tripathi, is an advocate practising at the Gorakhpur civil court.

The victim’s body has been sent for post-mortem examination as the investigation continues.