Neighbours aid elderly farmer couple thrashed by sons
Synopsis
The farmer couple owed banks money worth more than ₹6 lakh. Two of their seven children had attacked them, demanding division of property. Fellow villagers helped the couple lodge a complaint with police.
One of the most common reasons ascribed for large family sizes in rural areas has been the dictum that the more children you have, the more farmhands you get. However, for one elderly couple in Badami Taluk of Bagalkot district, two of their sons proved to be a source of pain when the duo beat them up, demanding the division of property on January 6.
Magundappa Kuri (71) and Neelavva (65) lived in Hirenasabi village and owned agricultural land measuring 3.11 acres. The couple have three daughters and four sons. Two of the sons — Mallappa and Shankarappa, who are both married — had been demanding that the parents partition their property and provide shares. Villagers claim that the duo had been harassing the couple for years over this.
As Badami is a drought-affected area, Kuri had been forced to take bank loans for four successive years. He owed banks more than ₹6 lakh, including interest. Due to the constant demand for division of property, he told his children to repay the loans and divide the property among themselves.
On January 6, Mallappa and Shankarappa assaulted their parents. Following the incident, fellow villagers escorted the couple to the office of the Superintendent of Police and helped them lodge a complaint against Mallappa and Shankarappa.