Shops set afire, highway blocked after brick kiln owner's murder in Raj

A brick kiln owner was murdered and an eatery and a liquor shop were set on fire in Rajasthan's Pratapgarh district in a quarrel over dust from the kiln, the police said on Tuesday.

The 38-year-old kiln owner's family and angry locals also blocked a highway and pelted stones at the police after he was allegedly stabbed to death by a group of people, which included the dhaba owner, they added.

The incident took place late on Monday evening in Kherot village under the Kotwali police station limts of Pratapgarh, the police said.

DSP Herambh Joshi said the dhaba owner Jaisingh Lalana, the main accused, has been detained and is being interrogated.

Joshi said Ghanshyam Prajapat's brick kiln and Lalana's dhaba are located nearby. The two allegedly had an argument a few days ago over the issue of dust flying from the kiln.

On Monday evening, they had another altercation on the same issue during which Prajapat allegedly slapped an employee of the dhaba and went home after the incident, the DSP said.

At night, six people, including Lalana, allegedly arrived at Prajapat's house on two motorbikes and took him outside.

After the group allegedly thrashed Prajapat, Lalana attacked him with a knife, killing him on the spot. The accused fled the spot after the murder, he added.

Agitated over Prajapat's murder, his family members set the dhaba and liquor shop on fire at night, pelted stones at police vehicles and blocked the Pratapgarh-Ratlam highway, they said.

The blockade was cleared after pacifying the protestors. However, additional police force has been deployed on the spot, they added.

The DSP said teams have been formed to nab the remaining accused.

The body is kept in the mortuary of the district hospital and is yet to be sent for postmortem, the police said.