Abdul Karim Sarkar, 40, died and his brother, Abdul Mannan Sarkar, was injured during a clash over the ownership of ancestral land in South Dinajpur.
Abdul Mannan suffered serious injuries and is being treated at the superspeciality hospital in Gangarampur.
The deceased was a resident of Chowk Hossain-Nalipara, a village under the jurisdiction of Tapan police station.
A source stated that Abdul Karim’s father has seven siblings — five brothers and two sisters. For years, the brothers and their children have been fighting over an ancestral plot.
A cousin of Abdul Karim, Farooque Mia, and his family took a plough to the disputed land on Friday morning. Abdul Karim attempted to stop them from carrying out any work there.
Farooque allegedly reacted by stabbing Abdul Karim in the neck with a dagger. Abdul Mannan rushed to help his brother after hearing him raise an alarm. Farooque attacked him as well before fleeing the spot.
Locals rushed the duo to the super-speciality hospital in Gangarampur, where doctors pronounced Abdul Karim dead.
A police team recovered a dagger and some broken iron pieces, which are suspected to have been used in the attack.
“The police are in search of Farooque and his family, who have fled the village. We want exemplary punishment for them,” said Ramprasad Roy, head of the local panchayat.