A woman in northern India sat with her teenage son's severed head in her lap for hours after the boy was decapitated over a land dispute.
Anurag Yadav, 17, was allegedly struck with a sword by a relative during a fight over a four-decade-old land dispute at a village in Jaunpur district of Uttar Pradesh state, police said.
The fight erupted when a man identified as Ramesh Yadav began clearing grass from the disputed land ahead of the Hindu festival of Diwali, superintendent of police Ajaypal Sharma told news agency PTI.
When confronted by the boy, Mr Yadav attacked him with a "sword and decapitated him".
“This incident stems from a land dispute that has been ongoing between two parties for 40-45 years,” Mr Sharma said.
Mr Yadav went absconding but police arrested his father.
They also filed a case against six people, including the father and son, in connection with the beheading.
A video published on social media purportedly showed the bereaved mother wailing while holding her son's decapitated head in her lap. She sat surrounded by other women of the village who tried to console her.
Jaunpur’s district magistrate condemned the act as "heinous" and assured strict action against the accused. He said RA Chauhan, the additional district magistrate, had been asked to submit a report of the magisterial inquiry in the next three days.
The slain teenager was a college student and a skilled Taekwondo player. He had secured bronze and silver medals in recent local competitions, according to media reports.
Akhilesh Yadav, leader of the opposition Samajwadi Party, condemned the violence and alleged that there was no law and order in Uttar Pradesh anymore.
